Love: In Theory And Practice
by OctobersRequiem
Summary: The only thing constant about the world is the fact that it is always changing. Sasuke knew this and he resented it. He also resented that he was eventually going to have to pull himself out his own problems and move along with it. NaruSasu AU
1. In Venere Veritas

**A/N - Yes, I know. I'm awful. Starting another multi-chapter fic was not on my to do list, but this idea just would NOT go away. So I decided to type out the first chapter. But worry not! The next chapter of Kekkei Genkai and Unattainable are in the works this very moment! Think of this as more of a pilot chapter. It'll be a long while before I am able to give my full attention to this fic, though I do intend to finish it eventually. I figured since I had already written the first chapter, I may as well post it, so here it is.**

**This story is unbeta'd so ignore all of those annoying typos. My mind moves too fast for my fingers to keep up with, so I make a lot of spelling errors.**

**Disclaimer - This is a blanket disclaimer for this chapter and chapters to come. The title of this story belongs to the band HIM, from their album _'Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice' _and all chapter titles belong to the band HIM as well. All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-sensei, not myself. (Much to my annoyance. Seriously. If I owned the manga....Sasuke would have grown up a bit by now. -Rolls eyes-)  
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**So, that's all I have to say! Enjoy~  
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'_Let's fall apart together now.'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter One

In Venere Veritas

Everyone knew about Uchiha Sasuke. His name was associated with the greater questions in life. Things like, 'How did I get here?' 'Where am I going?' 'What's after this?'

A mere mention of his name brought up things like love, passion, regret and the meaning in life. Many philosophical debates were launched when someone mentioned him. Many regarded him as a genius, a prodigy.

Naruto knew better.

Uchiha Sasuke was colder than a frigid night in the middle of January. The kind that made your fingers go numb as soon as you stepped outside and sent automatic shivers quaking across your body.

Naruto wanted to change that.

* * *

Sasuke glared down at his laptop with all of the hatred he could muster. And that was a lot of hatred. He would have picked it up and thrown it across the room, but it would probably hit somebody in the head and he did not feel like apologizing today.

The screen reflected it's contents back at him, infuriating him all the more as he saw how little progress he had made. His head was at just the right angle to see those annoying lines of light running across the flat screen and it was giving him a headache.

He removed his hands from the keyboard and leaned back into the booth, flexing them. His hands had been on that keyboard for hours, so they were extremely cramped. He almost crossed his arms on reflex so he could continue glaring at the screen when someone sat down across from him.

Sasuke looked up – the glare still plain on his face – to see a tanned boy with bright blonde hair sitting across from him. Sasuke _would _have chucked the computer screen at _his _head for invading his privacy, if it weren't for the Styrofoam cup of coffee he was sliding across the table. Sasuke snatched it up and raised it to his lips.

The coffee was black, just the way he liked it.

The blonde stared at him for a second or two before a large grin spread across his face. "Hey." He said.

Sasuke gave a curt nod as response. It wasn't everyday that he had complete strangers approaching him as if they were old friends. Not to say that he'd never been approached by complete strangers, that happened more often that he would like, but it never happened with such familiarity.

"You're writing, right?" The blonde asked. Sasuke just nodded to him again and took another drink of coffee. The blonde – Naruto – smiled again. Sasuke grimaced at the fact that he came to Nine-Tails cafe` enough to know the waiters name. Though, it was almost impossible not to know, what with the other blonde – Ino – constantly yelling at Naruto all the time.

Naruto slipped the bag off of his shoulder and unzipped it. Sasuke watched him remove a bright turquoise piece of paper and slide it across the table toward him. Sasuke glanced down at it. It was an advertisement for an art gallery that would open in two days time.

"Well," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "You look like you're stuck, so I thought maybe I'd give you that."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow in response. He didn't see the connection between his writers block and an art showing.

"Come on," Naruto gave him a sheepish grin, Sasuke idly noticed how the whisker-like scars on his cheeks scrunched when he did. "Don't look at me like that. You don't _have _to go. I just heard somewhere that doing new things could help people get out of ruts. So I thought I'd give you something new to experience."

Sasuke raised both eyebrows at this, but didn't say anything. Did he come here often enough for the employees to know when he was experiencing writers block? If that were so, then he came here far too often.

"Naruto!" A shrill female voice shrieked. Sasuke didn't even look over as Naruto jumped. Ino's voice was unmistakable. "What are you doing sitting down?! Your shift was supposed to start ten minutes ago!"

"Oops." Naruto said, flashing Sasuke another grin. Mischievous this time. "Gotta go." Sasuke watched the blonde slide out of the booth and sling his bag back over his shoulder as he headed toward the door that was labeled "Employees Only". When Naruto disappeared through it, he returned his glare to his computer screen.

He raised the cup of coffee to his lips absentmindedly as he shifted his glare to the flyer in front of him. The brightness of the paper made him squint his eyes as the fluorescent light reflected off of it. It read '_Konoha and Suna universities are proud to present a combined project filled with art and passion. Opening of the 'Cursed Seal' gallery on December 12__th__, 2010.' _

Sasuke almost snorted, but it would have taken too much effort. 'A combined project of art and passion', huh?

Sasuke tensed suddenly as his phone started to ring, the generic ring tone chimed loudly in the quiet of the cafe`. He answered it as fast as he could, not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Yes?"

"Sasuke?" Sasuke fought the urge to groan. He should have checked the caller ID. Then he would have known who was calling and to promptly hit the 'Ignore' button he was so fond of. "Hey," The voice continued. "It's Sakura."

"Hn." Was the only response he gave as he unzipped the black bag sitting next to him and slid the turquoise paper inside of it. It looked horribly out of place among all of the white papers and black folders already stuffed inside of his bag.

"Well _someone _woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Sakura's tone was teasing and Sasuke grimaced. He hated that he knew anyone well enough to _be _teased, even if was a childhood friend.

"Hn." Sasuke stuck with his usual response. It was failsafe. Courtesy demanded he answer her, but it never dictated how much he had to say. So the minimal amount of verbal communication was just fine with him.

"Right, well," Sakura's voice seemed to hesitate for a second. "How's the writing going?"

A silence so loud it could be heard in outer space greeted her. It was more than enough response on Sasuke's part. He didn't discuss his writing with anyone but his publisher, and _that _was forced. She knew better than to ask, but always did anyways.

"That bad, huh?" She laughed and Sasuke bristled. Almost as if she could hear it through the phone, she immediately stopped. "Calm down, I was just kidding."

"Hn." He said again, noticeably more hostile this time.

"Anyways, I was calling to ask if you remembered about my party? You know, the _engagement _party I've been telling you about for the past two months?"

Sasuke almost nodded as his gaze shifted back to the computer screen in front of him, but then realized she couldn't see him. "I remember." He said curtly.

"Really?" She sounded skeptical. He _almost _rolled his eyes. Almost.

"Yes." He confirmed, pleased with how irritated he sounded. Of course, him being irritated never bothered Sakura. He could be downright hostile and she'd still smile at him. A glare that would usually send women running just made her raise an eyebrow at him.

"Then what's the date?" Her tone was smug, as if she already knew he didn't know. Which she probably did. She knew him far too well for his own liking. He did know that date, he just didn't have it memorized. No, it was stored inside of the Blackberry he now had pressed to his ear. And she would know if he tried to go through it to get the date, and then the teasing would never stop.

So he stayed silent instead. He expected her to sigh, but she let out a sharp bark of a laugh. "You are so lucky I like you so much. If anyone else forgot the date, I sure as hell wouldn't call them _ten _times to remind them."

"Tch." Sasuke said. Another failsafe. At times he didn't feel like using his customary '_Hn_' he would mix it up a bit and throw in a scoffing '_Tch_'. And that response was very appropriate because Sakura had indeed called him ten times previously to discuss this very thing.

"It's the twentieth, Sasuke." Sasuke could have slapped himself in the forehead when he realized that he already knew that – yes, he had been told that ten times already – but he didn't. Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't be caught doing something like that, ever. It wasn't his way.

"Kakashi and I expect you there at six." Sakura continued. Judging from her airy tone, Sasuke figured she'd started multitasking. That usually happened when she called him from work. "And yes, Sasuke, you need to bring a gift."

"Is that all you needed?" He asked. His right hand was on his keyboard again. He promptly used it to hit 'Crtl' and then 'A', effectively highlight his entire novel. His fingers started inching toward the backspace button.

"No." Sakura huffed. And then she was quiet for a moment before...."Your brother called me."

Sasuke's hand paused for a moment. It was hovering over the 'L' key. It always took him a very long time to debate whether or not he really wanted to erase all of his progress and start over, so his hand had been going very slow anyways.

"What did he say?" Sasuke asked, pleased with how uncaring he sounded.

"He wanted me to remind you that you do, indeed, have a family. And that family expects a call from you now and then to tell them that you are alive. They do not want to hear of your continued existence from press releases and publish dates."

"Hn." Sasuke's hand started moving toward the backspace button again. Sakura sighed.

"Sasuke," Her voice was serious. Again. And Sasuke really didn't want to have this conversation. Again. "You have to talk to your family sometimes. I'm tired of having to tell Itachi that yes, you are indeed alive, and yes, your lack of communication has nothing to do with you being hospitalized over long periods of time for mental help."

Sasuke snorted, very much against his will. He had no desire to find that amusing, but couldn't really help it. His brother's sense of humor was as twisted as ever.

"Sasuke, are you listening to me?"

"Yes." Sasuke's fingers were on the backspace button now. All he would have to do is press down and two hundred thousand words would disappear forever.

"Are you going to contact your family?"

"Eventually." Sasuke closed his eyes as he finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath, but just as he was about to press down, he met with some unwelcome interference. He opened his eyes and glared up at Naruto, who had yanked his wrist back from the keyboard. He had a tray in his hand and the customary orange apron around his waist. Sasuke was extremely annoyed when the blonde proceeded to smirk and shake his head.

"Yes, well, make it soon." Sakura said into his ear. "I have to go, the boss is here." And with that, she hung up the phone. Sasuke lowered his own from his ear as he watched Naruto move his wrist away from the keyboard and drop it in his lap. Then he turned around and walked away, still shaking his head.

With a sigh of annoyance – Sasuke would never admit it was a sigh of defeat – he hit the save button on his open word document and closed the program.

He had never intended to delete it anyways, he told himself.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. As he stood staring up at the old building in the middle of Konoha's college district, he decided he didn't really care. He had nothing else to be doing today, so there hadn't been a reason for him _not _to come.

Though, there hadn't really been a reason for him to go, either.

He wasn't particularly interested in art, at least, not as far as he knew. He wasn't particularly interested in people either. He hunched his shoulders inside of his jacket as a harsh wind kicked up. He had a feeling it was going to snow today. It was about time, too. It always seemed like the later in the season the snow came, the later it lasted.

He watched college students filter into the building. Most of them were laughing, or smiling as they chatted to their friends. Talking on their cell phones or texting. Sasuke almost had an urge to smile. He hadn't been to the college district since he graduated last year. The urge passed quickly and Sasuke's face remained blank.

A sad feeling welled inside of Sasuke for a moment. He hadn't spoken to any of his friends since graduation. Not because none of them were willing to stay in contact, but because – other than his novel publications – he had kind of fallen off the face of the earth.

The only person he'd really kept in contact with was Sakura. And that was because she kept showing up at his apartment, so he couldn't really avoid her. It made him sad to think that the only real human contact he'd had in the last ten months was with one person.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment as he pushed the feeling away. When he opened them again, he was determined.

He walked inside the building, pushing the glass doors open with ease. He found himself at the back of a rather long line. It didn't take long for it to shorten as people paid for admission. By the time he was at the admissions table, a line had formed behind him. He wondered idly if it was normal for so many people to show up to a college art showing.

The girl sitting in front of him gave him a small smile. "It'll be ten dollars." Her voice was quiet, he noticed as he handed her a twenty. Her head dipped as she rummaged through a box for his change, causing a veil of blue-black hair to fall over her light eyes.

He accepted the bill she was handing him with a blank face, before walking through another door into and extremely wide hall.

There were people everywhere, talking as they migrated around the room, staring at different squares on the wall that Sasuke assumed were the paintings. He cast his eyes around the room for a moment, not entirely sure what he was looking for, before he walked up to the nearest painting.

Sasuke's eyes widened minutely as he took in the picture before him. It was a sea of dark colors, surrounding a man sitting on a throne. The man had long dark hair and eyes like a snake. His skin was deathly pale and he appeared to be laughing as he looked at the scene at his feet.

Beneath the throne, there were two people. One was blonde, one with hair as black as pitch. There was a sword sticking out of the blonde's back, blood gushing from the place it had penetrated. The blonde's body seemed to form a cage around the black haired man's body, as he lay beneath the blonde. The only part of the raven's face that was visible were eyes wide with shock.

The meaning of the painting became quite clear when Sasuke glanced down at the title. _Love_. So the blonde haired man had sacrificed himself for the raven, as the man on the throne cackled at their misfortune.

That was extremely depressing.

Sasuke stared at it for a few moments, before making his way to the next painting. It was equally good, though the style was very different. Sasuke assumed it had a different artist. It was a man standing alone in the middle of a barren desert, flecks of sand could be seen blowing in the wind as he looked out at the setting sun. Brilliant streaks of color were strewn across the sky.

Sasuke continued like this, ignoring the other people in the room as he went from painting to painting.

There was one that made him stop and stare for several minutes.

It was divided into four equal parts on the canvas. The top one depicted a blonde little boy, who had his hands pressed to his eyes as he cried, completely alone.

In the next one, the blonde was looking up in awe at a man with dark hair pulled up into a ponytail who had a scar across his nose. The man smiled back at the boy.

In the next two, more and more people had emerged. In the third frame, the blonde boy looked just as amazed as he stared at the group of people that had grown around him. A dark haired girl who looked a lot like the girl at the admissions table, a brunette boy with pointy teeth and large grin, a stoic looking red head who had his arms crossed....

In the last frame, the blonde boy was looking out of the painting and smiling. The group of people around him had grown so large that Sasuke could no longer see the yellow and blue hues of the background that had surrounded the blonde since the first frame.

The man with scar was still there, along with the quiet looking girl and brunette boy. The stoic redhead had shifted positions and was standing next to the blonde protectively. A blonde woman with a large bust had one hand held up in a peace sign with a large smile on her face and a hand on top of the blonde's head, as man with crazy long white hair stared at her longingly. There was an old man with a pipe in his mouth and a slight smirk on his face. A boy dressed in all green with a bowl cut, a boy with sunglasses on and a collar so high it covered his mouth, a bored looking boy with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, a blonde girl with a long ponytail who looked suspiciously like Ino from Nine-Tails cafe`...

"Do you like it?" Sasuke jumped, surprised at the sound of a voice so close to him. He recognized it, and looked over to see Naruto staring at him with a sheepish expression on his face. His mouth kept twitching, as if it didn't know whether to smile or frown.

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only response as he turned back to the painting. The truth was, he did like it. It was extremely well done, and Sasuke wasn't surprised when he glanced down to read the title.

_Bonds_

"He speaks!" Naruto exclaimed, a wide grin breaking across his face as he held a hand to his chest and closed his eyes. "Be still my heart!"

Sasuke snorted. In annoyance, not amusement, mind you.

"Did you paint this?" He asked, his tone impassive. His eyes were on the painting again, and he noticed how similar the blonde boy looked to Naruto.

"Yeah," Naruto said, stepping closer to Sasuke and tilting his head as he squinted at the painting. "It's kind of like a self-portrait, you know?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He continued staring at the painting. He wasn't exactly captivated by it, but there was a certain fascination. While the point of the painting was clear, he couldn't help but feel there was an underlying message.

"But, and don't tell anyone this-" Sasuke looked over as Naruto pointed at him, a slightly serious expression on his good humored face. "It's not quite finished yet. It's missing something."

"And what would that be?" Sasuke sounded indifferent, but he was genuinely curious. The painting seemed perfect to him. It was emotionally moving and from an artistic standpoint, he was guessing Naruto was a genius, as he had never seen a painting so well done by a college student.

Naruto stepped in front of Sasuke and pointed at the last frame. Next to the blonde boy, even though he was surrounded by so many people, was an empty space.

"Someone is supposed to go here." Naruto told him, staring at the painting with narrowed eyes. "There are so many people in the painting, but no one would fit there. It didn't feel right. Someone is supposed to be standing next to me here, but I can't figure out who."

Sasuke tilted his head slightly as he took in the painting again. The blonde boy was smiling in the last frame, and though he seemed genuinely happy, he looked a little frustrated.

Naruto looked over at him and eyed him appraisingly for a moment. "I'm surprised you actually came." He said finally.

Sasuke glanced at him, before turning around to go to the next painting. He watched a group of girls walk away from it just as he arrived. He wasn't entirely surprised when he realized Naruto had followed him.

"I mean," Naruto continued, as if Sasuke wasn't blatantly ignoring him. "I'm glad that you came, really, I am. I wanted you to see my paintings. But I'm just...surprised. When I gave you the flyer, I wasn't really hoping for much. I figured you'd pretty much ignore it, cause, you know, you seem like a busy person and kind of anti-social and..." Naruto suddenly stopped talking as Sasuke stared at him quizzically. He raised a hand and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I'm rambling."

Sasuke was pretty sure he surprised both himself and Naruto when he just shrugged dismissively. Naruto's eyes widened for a second before a large grin broke across his face. The scars on his cheeks scrunched again and his blue eyes twinkled.

Twinkled? Really? Sasuke scoffed to himself. What possessed him to use such an adjective to describe Naruto, he had no idea. But he really didn't like it. Sasuke didn't think _anything _twinkled. He hated twinkles.

He looked at the painting in front of him. This one didn't seem to be painted by Naruto. There was a girl with long dark hair and deep eyes in it. Her expression was serious and confident and Sasuke idly noticed how beautifully she was depicted. She was surrounded by a mass of blue, white and teal lights that sparkled like a pile of diamonds.

"This is Hinata's self-portrait." Naruto told him, his tone matter-of-fact. When Sasuke turned and raised an eyebrow at him, Naruto answered the obvious question. "The girl at the admissions table." He explained. "That's my friend Hinata."

"Is she conceited?" Sasuke asked, noticing that the similarities toward the girl at the admissions table and the girl in the painting – while quite obvious – were not exactly truthful. The aura of the girl in the painting was nothing like the girl he had seen. The difference in beauty was rather blatant.

Naruto scoffed at him and rolled his eyes. "No," He said curtly, crossing his arms over his white button down shirt. "This is how Hinata _wishes _she were. Which is why it's titled '_Wish' _in case you didn't notice. Hinata's really shy, so she wants more confidence in herself."

Sasuke merely nodded. He wasn't sure why Naruto felt he needed to tell the girls entire back story, but it would take too much effort to point that out.

"So...Sasuke?" Naruto seemed to hesitate as he said Sasuke's name. Sasuke arched an eyebrow at the familiarity. Naruto was the only person he had ever met who had the audacity to address him so informally. Especially considering the only semblance of a relationship they held was Naruto delivering his coffee. "Are you busy on Saturday?"

"Excuse me?" Sasuke deadpanned. He wasn't exactly sure where Naruto meant to go with that question.

"Saturday." Naruto said slowly. "Are you busy? Cause if you're not, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to catch a movie or something."

Both of Sasuke's eyebrows were raised now. He watched a tinge of red color Naruto's cheeks as he realized the implications of what he'd said. "Not like a _date _or anything." He quickly corrected, waving his arms around as if to make his point. "Just like, you know, hanging out."

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure why Naruto was suddenly showing such interest in him, or what it meant. He didn't know Naruto in the slightest, and the blonde seemed to be rather loud and annoying.

Sasuke opened his mouth to politely decline the invitation, but what came out was not the words he had ordered his brain to deliver. "Whatever."

Naruto beamed at him. "Right," He said, scratching the back of his head again. Sasuke wondered if that was a nervous tick of his. "Well, come by Nine-Tails at five. I'll meet you there."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, before turning on his heel and walking out of the brightly lit hall. His chest suddenly felt tight, and the room had begun to feel suffocating in all of it's vastness. Naruto being in his personal space only seemed to increase the rate of his frantic heartbeat. His breath was coming in quick bursts as he stumbled out into the cold December air, his stomach flipping over nauseously.

Sasuke wanted to groan, but he was pretty sure he would throw up.

He fished an orange bottle of pills out of the messenger bag that was slung over his shoulder and popped the top off. He tossed one into his mouth and swallowed it dry.

He hated panic attacks.

* * *

When Sasuke returned to his apartment, it was well after six o' clock in the evening. He turned the lights on and watched as his apartment brightened instantly.

The walls of his apartment were a light shade of gray, the kitchen had a standard black and white checkered scheme and his living room was well furnished with a black couch and matching love seats.

He sunk down into his couch and closed his eyes for a second, breathing steadily. His panic attack had calmed enough for him to have a coherent grasp on his thoughts – finally.

He snapped his eyes open and reached into his bag, pulling out his laptop. He sat it down on the glass coffee table in front of him and waited impatiently as it booted up. He opened the word document that contained his novel - pausing shortly to open Windows Media and set one of his favored play lists on repeat – before he started typing frantically.

He didn't stop until around four in the morning, exhaustion finally winning out over determination.

He cleared about fifty thousand words that night.

* * *

**A/N - And that's the first chapter. I'd love to hear what you think! And just to let you all know, there will be no evil plots of doom or epic battles in this fic. It's purely about relationships and how much they can effect people! Woohoo! Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Scared To Death

**A/N - I had been planning to sleep tonight. I was laying down and everything...then the phone rang. One hour later, I hung up and was very much awake. And because of that, you get another chapter! Woohoo!**

**This chapter is all about getting to knoooow one another, you know? Not much action. I hope you like it anyways.**

* * *

_'In the biblical sense and sensibility, let me know you'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter Two

Scared to Death

Sasuke watched the snow through his window as it drifted lazily to the ground. He'd been sitting on his bed for twenty minutes, lost in thought.

Winter was his favorite season.

He hated the bitter cold and the harsh winds as much as the next person, but there was something about it that made him reflective – almost emotional – so he'd grown rather attached to the season. He always took a deep breath when the air turned crisp in the fall, letting the sharpness of it invade his senses.

Something about the gray skies that blanketed the world in winter was peaceful, relaxing. The warmth of summer was nice, but the coldness of long winter nights was moving.

He glanced at the digital clock on his night stand. It was four-thirty. On Saturday. The day he had agreed to go with Naruto to a movie.

He got to his feet and pulled the jacket that had been resting in his lap around his shoulders, before picking up his bag and heading out of the apartment. He paused briefly to give himself a once over in the mirror. He didn't particularly care what other people thought of his appearance, but he liked to look decent when he left his house. Composed.

Because generally, he was a mess when he went into the outside world.

Sasuke eyed his reflection. His hair was styled perfectly. His two long bangs falling on either side of his face and sticking up slightly in the back. The blue turtle neck he wore was unwrinkled and looked good with the black pants that hung low on his hips.

He let out a breath, satisfied. He could do this. He just had to act the part. Convince the world. If he pretended he was flawless, then he would eventually be flawless, right?

Sasuke tugged open his apartment door and mentally braced himself to deal with the many faces of the world.

People were invasive. They were constantly in each other's business. They were loud – sometimes laughing, sometimes crying – but always loud. The streets of cities were packed with people who casually passed each other by, completely ignorant that they had just brushed shoulders with a stranger. And that that stranger had a life, a family, a story.

The world was suffocating and vast all at the same time. Sasuke preferred not to deal with the anxiety that provoked in him and stayed in his apartment most of the time. Except for his usual few trips to Nine-Tails cafe` every week, he was pretty much a recluse.

Sasuke didn't have anything against people, he didn't ever judge or scorn them intentionally. He just really didn't want anything to do with them. They made him nervous. Because people talk, and generally that causes people to listen. And then they get close and a bond forms and they hold power over each other forever.

So why was Sasuke going to a movie with one of those very people?

He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as bitter winds assaulted his face. He could practically feel his lips chapping. Nine-Tails was only five blocks from his apartment, so it was a short walk. Winter didn't deter him from being outside like it did most people. No, winter was probably one of the only things that kept him going outside.

The snow was about an inch high by now. Sasuke's footprints ruined the perfect purity of white as he trudged onward. It made him sad to see something so whole and innocent ripped apart by careless people passing by.

Sasuke could feel the cold flakes of snow as they piled up on top of his head, but he ignored it. He wondered idly if he should have taken his meds before leaving but shrugged the thought away. He had them if he needed them.

The warmth of the cafe` blasted him in the face as he opened the door and stepped inside. It almost felt like stepping into a fireplace. The bright overhead lights reflected off of the cream colored walls and made him squint. The snow outside made the interior seem more bright than usual. People were seated in various booths. Some reading, some typing away on laptops. One girl had fallen asleep at her table.

Sasuke looked behind the bar to see Ino and Naruto standing there. They were out of ear shot, but he assumed they were bickering about something. It's what they usually did. Sasuke made his way toward his usual booth to wait when Naruto seemed to notice his presence.

The blonde gave him a smile so wide it made Sasuke's face hurt just to look at. Sasuke ignored it and sat down as Naruto resumed bickering with Ino, the smile still on his face.

Sasuke had always been curious as to why he felt so comfortable at Nine-Tails cafe`. In a way, it made sense. What author didn't like coffee shops? They could laze around and write uninterrupted for hours while still being somewhat involved with the world.

Sasuke had been to many different coffee shops in his time, and they had all appalled him. Along with bars, bookstores and just about any other place an author would like. But when he and Sakura had ducked into Nine-Tails on a rather harsh rainy day, something had clicked.

He'd felt comfortable, so he came back, and had continued coming back until the staff new him by name and didn't even bother taking his order anymore, just brought him his coffee. He was a regular.

"Hey." Sasuke looked up as Naruto greeted him, still smiling. "Sorry, Ino wanted me to stay late. I had to take a minute to remind her I was not one of those employees who went above and beyond the call of duty."

Sasuke shrugged in response, but Naruto's grin didn't falter. "Just give me a minute. I have to grab my stuff and then we can get out of here."

Sasuke nodded, but Naruto had already turned and disappeared through the staffroom door. Sasuke wondered if he had to make conversation with Naruto. Something like that would be expected when spending time with another person. He grimaced at the idea.

He didn't really have anything to say.

"Okay, let's go." Naruto was back and practically dancing as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Sasuke fought the urge to role his eyes at the hyperactivity as he slid out of the booth and followed Naruto out the door.

* * *

By the end of the movie, Sasuke was almost completely relaxed. He hadn't had to talk much, at least no more than his usual 'Hn'. Naruto provided most of the conversation.

They'd gone to see some animated movie. Sasuke had arched an eyebrow at Naruto's choice, but the blonde just shrugged and smiled at him. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had gone to see a kid's movie.

And it hadn't been all that bad. He actually found himself genuinely amused during some parts of it. He hadn't come so close to laughing in a long time.

Naruto had been talking his ear off from the moment they had left the cafe` until the movie let out, and didn't let up as the wandered the busy streets of downtown Konoha. Sasuke now knew that Naruto's favorite color was orange, favorite food was ramen, that he hated having to wake up for classes and stayed up way too late playing video games with his friends. He was an art major, which wasn't really surprising and he lived with a friend in an apartment just off campus.

"So then, of course Kiba ratted me out." Naruto was in the middle telling a rather colorful anecdote about one of his friends. "I don't think Ino's ever beat me so hard in all my life. Which is saying something, cause she hits me a lot."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted as he watched a little girl with pigtails follow her mother across the street. It was a little after seven and the sun had already set, leaving an orange tinted sky full of clouds overhead.

"So, do you wanna get something to eat?" Naruto bounced a few steps closer to him and looked at him expectantly. The bright orange of his hoody hurt Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke debated it for a minute, before giving up. The puppy eyes Naruto was giving him made him nod his head in agreement. Naruto beamed.

"Pizza sound good?" When Sasuke shrugged, Naruto let out a howl of victory. "Shikamaru and Kiba _never _let me pick where we eat." He told Sasuke, his face contorting to a pout. Sasuke marvelled at how similar he was to a child.

Ten minutes later and they were tucked in a corner booth at one of Konoha's more crowded pizza parlors. Naruto had ordered a large pepperoni pizza for the both of them and then proceeded to eat half of it himself.

"So," He said through a bite of pizza. His grease coated lips shined as he licked them. "What do you do? Other than write, I mean."

Sasuke's eyes widened for a second as his brain processed the question. Naruto hadn't asked him anything all night, so Sasuke had assumed he could get out of this without having to be too personal. He felt like a deer caught in the headlights as Naruto stared at him expectantly.

"I do what everyone does." Sasuke said finally. "Wake up, work, eat, sleep. Wake up again." Naruto raised an eyebrow and Sasuke got the feeling that answer wasn't going to get him off the hook. "What about friends?" Naruto asked, taking another bite of pizza. Sasuke shrugged.

"I lost touch with most of my friends after college." He sounded as indifferent as he could manage. He was fidgeting on the inside, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. "The only friend I really have now is Sakura. I've know her since we were children, so she won't go away."

Naruto laughed loudly and Sasuke failed to see what part of the statement was funny. After his chuckles calmed down and he took a drink of soda, he started up with the questions again. "What does she do?"

Well, at least they weren't about Sasuke anymore.

"She's a fashion designer." Sasuke took a bite of his own pizza as Naruto nodded.

"That's cool. Every girl's dream, right?" Sasuke shrugged. He didn't really know anything about girls, let alone their dreams. He didn't know much about men either. Or people. Or himself. He didn't know anything about anything.

Panic rose in his throat as the thoughts swarmed around his mind. He felt like he was choking on them. He reached for his bag reflexively when Naruto asked another question. "So is she your girlfriend?"

Sasuke snorted, which caused Naruto raise an eyebrow at him. "No." He said curtly. "She's engaged to a business investor named Kakashi."

"A business investor?" Naruto sounded skeptical. "Where's the fun in that? Aren't business investors kind of boring?"

Sasuke almost grinned as a mental image of Kakashi flitted through his thoughts. No, boring was definitely one thing Kakashi was not. "Not this one." He said, picking up his pizza to take another bite. He froze.

Where had the panic gone?

His eyes widened. One minute he had felt like he was going to be thrown into another attack and then what, it just disappeared?

"Really?" Naruto asked, wiping his hands on a napkin before throwing it down on his plate. "Then what is he?"

"Eccentric." Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto grinned. After a few moments of silence, the conversation took a more comfortable turn as Naruto started an anecdote about Kiba being late for class one day, which seemed to bring on a series of unfortunate events until all of them ended up having to do an extra assignment.

It was pitch black outside by the time they left the pizza shop, the only light was slightly orange hue of the street lamps. The city seemed to have calmed down while they were away from it. It looked like a sleepy scene from a Christmas card, with bright lights strung on the trees of the park across the street and strings of them hung tackily in the windows of shops.

Sasuke looked at his watch. It was nine now. He had spent almost two hours sitting in a pizza parlor with a total stranger and hadn't had a panic attack once.

This was new to him. And not entirely unpleasant. Even if Naruto was loud and obnoxious and invasive.

Sasuke's chest clenched slightly as he realized that it would end soon. That Naruto had homework to do and people to see the next day. That the strange familiarity they'd fallen into would end as abruptly as it had started, probably never to begin again.

The idea of it seemed more isolating than the empty apartment waiting for him at home.

"Naruto." He said suddenly, catching himself by surprise as he interrupted whatever tale the blonde was telling. He lifted his eyes from the ground to meet Naruto's curious blue ones. "What are you doing on the twentieth?"

* * *

Sasuke could hear his phone ringing as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Once inside, he turned on the light and dropped his keys on the counter before picking up his screaming Blackberry. It was Sakura.

"Yes?"

"Where have you been?!" Sakura shrieked into his ear. He held the phone away for fear of impairing his hearing as she shouted at him. "I called you four times! _Four! _And you didn't answer once! Nine-Tails closed two hours ago! Where were you?"

"Out." He said curtly as he placed the phone over his ear again. An eerie silence greeted him from the other side of the phone as Sakura seemed to be processing the information.

"Out?" She sounded skeptical. "Out where?"

"I was at a movie." Sasuke said idly. He picked up the pile of mail that was sitting on his counter and started flipping through it. He paused as he looked at the Christmas card his parents had sent him.

_'Holiday Greetings from the Uchiha's.' _

It had one of those appalling family pictures on it. He and Itachi stood in front of his parents as they stared at the camera, looking anything but cheery in their holiday sweaters. He snorted.

"A movie." Sakura repeated, astonishment coloring her tone. "I'm sorry, this is Sasuke, right? Uchiha Sasuke? King of all things cynical and mundane? I think I may have the wrong number."

"Shut up." He grunted as he tossed the pile of mail back on the counter and started a pot of coffee.

"I'm sorry." She didn't sound it. "I just can't remember the last time I heard of you being '_out_' anywhere, other than at Nine-Tails, which hardly counts as an outing. Did you go to the movie by yourself?"

"No." He answered truthfully. He had learned a long time ago it was easier to be honest with Sakura and let her get all of the berating out of her system, than hide things and have her find out about them later. And she would find out about this later.

"Who did you go with?" She demanded. Sasuke didn't know whether to be hurt or amused by the disbelief in her voice. He opted for neither and remained impassive.

"Naruto." He said, not intending to give any kind of explanation as to who that was.

"Wait, wait," Sakura sounded thoughtful. "The art prodigy from Konoha University? The really loud blonde one?" Sasuke paused for a moment, confused. He put the pot of coffee down and picked up his mug, before going into the living room to sink into his couch. He didn't remember telling Sakura about Naruto.

"How did you know that?" He asked, wondering if he should be concerned about his privacy. Maybe she had private investigators following him.

"That's my boss's nephew." Sakura told him, sounding smug that she had guessed correctly. "He's always in here yelling at her, calling her an old hag. Tsunade-sensei really hates it."

"Hn." Sasuke opened his laptop and pulled up his novel. He was going to write tonight. Probably all night, again. His writer's block hadn't gone away entirely, but it had lessened to the point where he could actually enjoy the experience of his own creativity.

"Well, I don't know what to do with myself." Sakura deadpanned. "Sasuke made a friend. I don't know who I should call first, my mother or yours. Neither of them will believe me."

"Don't you dare call my mother." The threat was plain in Sasuke's voice. He knew Sakura talked to his family from time to time, but they did not need to know about the inner-workings of his personal life. Or lack thereof, up until this point.

"Fine, fine." Even over the phone, he could tell she was holding her hands up in surrender. "You should bring him to the engagement party." She suggested, excitement coloring her tone.

Sasuke snorted.

"What?" She demanded. "Are you afraid to bring him?

"No," Sasuke said as he took a sip of coffee, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I already invited him."

* * *

It was a quiet Monday evening. Unusually quiet for downtown Konoha. The entire town seemed tired by the holidays. Things like Christmas shopping and family reunions weighed heavily on people during the holidays. Sasuke was one of three people at Nine-Tails. A very slow night for the cozy cafe`.

Naruto was chatting with Ino behind the bar. Sasuke glanced up just in time to see her smack his shoulder playfully before returning his attention to his laptop.

It was almost finished.

The atrocious novel that had plagued his existence for the last five months was almost complete. The first draft, anyways. He'd have to turn it in to his publisher, and then revise and revise and revise...

Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke had finished his cup of coffee and exited the word document on his computer and was in the process of packing it away in his bag when Naruto walked over to him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, tilting his head. "It's only five. Usually you're here until close on Monday's." Sasuke didn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out at how well Naruto knew his schedule.

"Shopping." Sasuke said shortly as he pulled his bag over his shoulder. Naruto raised his eyebrows comically and his mouth parted in a large 'O'.

"Shopping?" He repeated once he regained his composure. Sasuke simply nodded. "You never really struck me as the shopping kind of guy."

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. "I have to get Sakura a present for the engagement party." He explained, annoyed at Naruto's assumption.

"The one you invited me to?"

"Hn." Naruto seemed to take that as a yes, because he nodded. Sasuke stared at him for a moment before heading for the door. Naruto followed him. "Mind if I come?" He asked, much to Sasuke's chagrin. Sasuke paused with his hand the door knob as he thought it over.

"Hn."

* * *

An hour later, Sasuke felt like killing himself. He hated shopping malls. Too many people bustling around with bags too large for their small purchases. Too many bright fluorescent lights overhead and loud teenage girls giggling to each other.

Naruto tagged along behind Sasuke as they wandered from store to store. Even though Sasuke had known Sakura for years, he still had no idea what to get her when it came to presents. Usually he opted for his presence as the gift. She was always whining about how they never had time to hang out anymore.

He didn't think Kakashi would enjoy his presence quite as much as Sakura would.

"What about this?" Naruto asked. Sasuke turned and looked at the item indicated. And continued looking.

"What is that?" He had never seen such an atrocious looking object in his life.

"It's a waffle iron." Naruto said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's pink." Sasuke pointed out.

"You said she liked pink!"

"Why is there a cat on it?"

"It's 'Hello Kitty' dammit!"

Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other for a few seconds, until Naruto busted up laughing. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what was funny about the situation, but shrugged and moved on. He'd like to find a present and get out of there as soon as possible.

"So, how long have you and Sakura known each other, exactly?" Naruto asked as Sasuke examined a pair of silver candlesticks. "Don't even think of getting her that." Naruto told him, as if reading Sasuke's mind. When Sasuke looked over at him, he shrugged. "It's too stuffy. Sakura is young, right? And she's a fashion designer. I doubt she'd like candlesticks."

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, glancing over to see Naruto staring at him. He still hadn't answered the question. "Since we were four." He said shortly, leaving the store they were in to go find a better one. "Her mother and my mother met one day while we were both at pre-school, apparently. They hit it off."

Naruto nodded but didn't say anything. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had talked so much about himself. Or anything, for that matter. He didn't know if he liked the change. It wasn't so much that he had anything to say, it was more like Naruto dragging answers out of him.

Usually, that would annoy Sasuke. He would ignore him and walk away rather than answer personal questions. Actually, he probably never would have given Naruto the time of day in the first place.

But he was tired of being alone.

One hour and many arguments later, they left the mall and headed on foot toward the direction of Sasuke's apartment.

They had decided on a salad shooter for the gift. You could never go wrong with a salad shooter.

It was pink.

* * *

**A/N - And there you go. A relationship blooms between our stoic hero and his blonde counterpart. Reviews are appreciated, as always! **


	3. Heartkiller

**A/N - I'm updating this more than I thought I would. I find this story very easy to write, it just kind of flows naturally out of my brain and onto the computer, so typing up the chapters doesn't take much time. I'm still working on my other two fics, so no promises about regular updates. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Unbeta'd, so ignore the typos. Reviews are loooooved! So, if you give me some, I'll give you virtual hugs from Friendship Duck. (He's my muse)**

* * *

_'In the flames you tried so hard to extinguish with fear of failing.'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter 3

Heartkiller

"Are you sure I look alright?" Naruto asked for what seemed the twentieth time. Sasuke just rolled his eyes as the blonde fidgeted. He looked fine.

In fact, he looked more than fine.

Leave it to Sakura to make her an engagement party an over-the-top black tie event. Naruto hadn't had a tuxedo, so Sasuke had lent him one. It was a little tight on Naruto, as the blonde was more broad across the shoulders than Sasuke, but that only seemed to add to the affect.

Sasuke took a deep breath as he pushed open the door to the hotel Sakura's party was being held at. The lobby was brightly lit and bustling with eager employees. Sasuke ignored the unashamed stares he was getting from many of the women and rounded a corner to find the large ballroom. He didn't have to check to know Naruto was following him, the blonde seemed to follow him everywhere.

The ballroom was filled with people Hundreds of them, dancing, laughing, eating and enjoying the splendor of the event. He spotted Sakura at a long table on the far side of the room, sitting next to Kakashi. He veered through the crowds toward them, trying to ignore the shoulders that accidentally brushed his.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed when she saw him, jumping to her feet and pulling him into a hug. He grimaced at the contact. "It's about time you showed up!"

Her bright pink hair seemed even brighter because of the hot pink gown she was wearing. It was done in elegant curls and bounced as she released him, her green eyes sparkling. "And this must be Naruto." She said, glancing past Sasuke to the fidgeting blonde.

"Nice to meet you." Naruto said, grinning at her and scratching the back of his head. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the slight blush that colored Naruto's cheeks. Deciding to ignore it, he held the gift he had in his hands out to Sakura. She eyed it warily for a moment before accepting it, a grin breaking across her face. "Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to sit?"

Sasuke didn't comment as he sat down next to Kakashi, who hadn't bothered taking off his mask for event. He had, however, exchanged his customary blue for a black one. It covered the lower half of his face mysteriously and every time Sasuke saw it, it made him roll his eyes.

Naruto was talking seated on the other side of Sakura, who was chatting merrily with him. The blonde seemed to have an easy social grace about him. It was like he got along with everyone he met. He laughed loudly at something Sakura said and Sasuke felt an odd emotion stab at his chest.

In the hour or so that passed, many people made their way to the table to offer their congratulations to the happy couple. Sakura, being the more social of the two, handled all of the conversation. Kakashi had pulled out a book with a bright cover and started reading it at the table, as if bored by the proceedings. Sasuke snorted. If he had dared do that, Sakura would have killed him.

Apparently Sakura had known Naruto's manager Ino from high school, and once they found they had something in common, she and Naruto seemed to hit it off. Sasuke kept glancing at his watch, counting the minutes that passed by and wondering how long he had to stay before it would be considered appropriate if he left.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, leaning over Kakashi to talk to him. The silver-haired man paid no attention to this, repositioning his book and continuing to read. "Why didn't you tell me Naruto was so funny?"

Sasuke snorted. It wasn't like it had been Sakura's first encounter with Naruto, as she had obviously seen him at work. If she had ever wanted to know anything about him, she could have easily found out herself.

Eventually, Naruto pulled Sakura by the hand to the dance floor. She and Kakashi had only danced once since Sasuke had gotten there and it didn't seem that they were going to again. Kakashi didn't really seem like the dancing kind of guy.

People clapped as Sakura and Naruto moved gracefully around one another, dancing lively to an upbeat song. Sasuke scanned the many faces of the crowd. There were more people he didn't know than people he did. He spotted Hyuuga Neji, who had been his roommate in college, but didn't make the effort to go and talk to him. He didn't want to explain why he'd stopped talking to the brunette so suddenly.

Every time a woman approached Sasuke for a dance, he sent them running away with his glare. He had no desire to dance with anyone and after the first few women, the message should have been made quite clear, but they kept coming to the table. A few were even audacious enough to try and pull him to the dance floor by the hand, the scathing comments they had received from him sent them away in tears.

"That's not a very good way to make friends." Kakashi said without looking up from his book. Sasuke had just sent a particularly annoying blonde girl away with a few choice words. He glared at Kakashi.

"Who wants to make friends?" He shot back. Kakashi always had a way of making things personal and Sasuke didn't like it.

"Apparently you do." He sounded bored as he flipped a page of his book. "Or at least, that's what Sakura tells me."

Sasuke turned to glare at his pink-haired friend but his eyes widened instead. She was still dancing with Naruto, only to a slow song this time. Her arms were around his shoulders and her head rested on his chest. Naruto was grinning while he talked, his chin on her head.

Something inside of Sasuke snapped.

There were too many people around. It was too loud. The lights were too bright. The music too grating. He couldn't quite pin point what it was, but his chest constricted and he nearly choked on the feeling that rose in his throat. He got to his feet and headed for the door, ignoring the glares he was getting as he pushed through the crowd of people.

He was leaving. He was sure Naruto would be able to find his own way home once he was ready to leave.

The cold air assaulted his face as he stepped outside. He stopped and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm the feeling burning in his chest. His eyes smarted from the harsh wind and his hands were shaking.

What was he doing?

There was a reason he stayed away from people, a reason he didn't get close. A reason he holed himself up in his apartment and only left when forced.

He wasn't like them.

He wasn't carefree and happy. He wasn't content to have his days fly by spent in the good company of others. He was different.

He took off on foot as he mentally bashed himself for getting into this situation. Why had he agreed to go to a movie with Naruto? If he got close to the blonde it would only hurt more when Naruto got fed up with him and decided to end whatever social dance they'd been doing together. He didn't want to be attached to someone, didn't want to experience the sense of loss when they left. He wanted to be cold and detached, indifferent to everyone and everything. The only people he wanted to know were the characters in his novels, because they couldn't leave, couldn't abandon him.

He should have known he was going to react like this. Bringing Naruto had been a bad idea. He never should have invited him.

Because just seeing Naruto dancing with Sakura had made Sasuke feel like another thing was being taken away from him.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke's back stiffened as he stopped, surprised. He turned slightly to look at Naruto, who was bent over with his hands on his knees, panting for breath. "Wait." Naruto said, holding up a hand.

Sasuke didn't. He turned around and kept walking, quickening his pace. It was better for Naruto get the picture now than wait and realize what Sasuke was like later.

A hand closed around his arm and Naruto yanked him to a stop. Sasuke scowled at the blonde who glared right back at him. "What?" He spat.

"Why did you leave?" Naruto's expression softened to one of hurt and confusion at Sasuke's harsh tone.

"Because I wanted to. Let me go." Sasuke demanded, trying to pull his arm out of Naruto's grip. He growled as the blonde's hand tightened on his elbow.

"What is your problem?" Naruto demanded, stepping closer to Sasuke. Sasuke went to step back but Naruto grabbed his lapel, keeping him in place. Sasuke felt panic rising in his throat at the invasion of his personal space.

"Right now," Sasuke growled. "My problem is the blonde idiot who won't let go of _my _arm." He tried to yank his arm out of Naruto's grip again, but it was pointless. The blonde wasn't going to let him go.

"Since when did I become a problem?" Naruto's expression was defensive as his blue eyes met Sasuke's narrowed black ones. "I thought we were friends."

"You thought wrong." Naruto's grip lessened in surprise and Sasuke yanked his arm away. "Leave me alone." He said, turning around to walk away.

"Why would I?" Naruto followed him, bristling. "Something is obviously wrong." Naruto fell angrily into step beside Sasuke but didn't try to touch him again, much to Sasuke's relief.

When Sasuke didn't say anything, Naruto kept talking. "I don't see how we aren't friends. We hang out, bicker, and see each other on an almost daily basis. That's what friends do."

"We're not friends because I don't want to be friends with you. Stop following me." He ordered, glaring at Naruto.

"You didn't seem that opposed to it the other day." Naruto pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke. The corner of his mouth was twitching slightly, as if he was fighting a smile. Sasuke failed to see when the conversation had taken a humorous turn.

"That was then and this is now." Sasuke fought to keep the hostile tone in his voice. He was suddenly very tired and wanted nothing more than crawl in his bed and sleep for a week. He sighed in frustration and ran a cold hand through his hair. He should have worn gloves today. "I'm not very good with people." He found himself admitting, too tired to fight anymore.

Naruto's expression softened even further at the tone in Sasuke's voice and his cobalt eyes danced with affection. Sasuke grimaced as Naruto grinned. He didn't like being looked at like that.

Naruto shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and tilted his head toward the sky. "Yeah, I kind of got that impression." He said lightly.

Sasuke grunted, confused by the turn the conversation had taken. He had wanted to fend Naruto off, not spill his secrets.

But he was tired, and uncomfortable in the tux and just didn't care anymore.

"Well, that's okay." Naruto continued, still looking up at the gray night skies of winter. "Because I _am _good with people."

Sasuke snorted at the comment, but a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth at the conceited declaration. Naruto had unwittingly calmed him down, and while Sasuke didn't know how to feel about that, he was a little grateful for it. It didn't change his mind though. Sasuke knew himself better than anyone and that fact was depressing.

He didn't want to drag Naruto down.

"Sasuke." Naruto stopped suddenly. Sasuke turned to stare at him, meeting eyes alight with determination and purpose. He arched an eyebrow. "I know you don't like people. I know you're closed off and anti-social or whatever." Naruto paused slightly as if searching for the right words. "I knew all of that before I asked you to go to the art showing, but it didn't change my mind. I wanted you to be my friend, and now that you are..." Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly, before staring Sasuke square in the eye with an expression he didn't recognize. "I'm not going to let you run away." Naruto deadpanned. "So you should get used to me, because I'm not going _anywhere_."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and he gaped a bit, taken by surprise. It was like the blonde knew all of his insecurities and was trying to comfort him. That was impossible, since they'd only been speaking for less than ten days, but the tight feeling in Sasuke's chest unclenched.

"Idiot." He breathed quietly, smirking despite himself.

* * *

Days flew by, turning into weeks which turned into months as Sasuke and Naruto settled into an easy routine. It wasn't uncommon for Sasuke to walk into his own apartment and find Naruto sprawled on his couch watching television. The blonde had swiped Sasuke's spare key sometime in February and made himself right at home.

No, the blonde was so comfortable in Sasuke's apartment that the spare bedroom practically belonged to him. Naruto had even convinced Sasuke to let him paint the walls orange, after much arguing. There were art supplies scattered around the unorganized room and clothes all over the floor. Sasuke didn't even bother going in there anymore, preferring not to see the mess.

Nor was it uncommon for Sasuke to be seen sitting at a booth in Nine-Tails waiting for the blonde to get off work so they could go do whatever outrageous activity Naruto had planned for that night.

Sasuke had met Naruto's roommate – Shikamaru – along with Naruto's guardian Iruka. He'd also become more acquainted with the quiet Hinata and had immediately been annoyed when he met the loud brunette named Kiba. He was on speaking terms with Ino, Naruto's boss, who had gotten back in contact with Sakura after the engagement party. The two often went shopping together, picking out different things for Sakura's wedding in May.

Naruto had drug Sasuke along to different college events as he excitedly introduced him to his wide circle of friends. Sasuke had put up with this, as it seemed to delight Naruto, but wasn't particularly close to any of the people he had met.

Sasuke was only close to Naruto.

There was an unspoken agreement between them that Naruto wouldn't ask about Sasuke's anxiety problems and he wouldn't try to pry into Naruto's mysterious past. It kept most conversation between them superficial, but their bond was undeniable. Naruto drug Sasuke with him everywhere and Sasuke pretended he didn't want to go. It's the way they worked.

Sakura had made quite a few jokes about Naruto being Sasuke's soul mate. The blonde was everything Sasuke was not. Loud, bright, cheery, obnoxious and stubborn. They complimented each other, making up for what the other lacked. They also defended each other when things got dramatic – which they tended to do, as Naruto was still in college – and somebody was insulting the other.

Sasuke found that Naruto had become his muse. When he didn't see the blonde for a few days, his writing came to a screeching halt, much to his annoyance. He never discussed his writing with people, but it had become greatly influenced by Naruto as they spent time with each other.

He was taking his meds less and less as he grew used to Naruto's company. Things became routine and that part in the back of Sasuke's mind that was filled with paranoia shut up after a while. Sasuke's life had changed more significantly than he would ever admit because of the sun-kissed blonde boy. So much that he found the nights he had to spend alone in his apartment not only uncomfortable – but unnatural.

It was a night like any other that everything seemed to change.

Sasuke was sitting on the couch with his laptop, working his way through yet another revision of his novel and Naruto was on the floor with his homework spread out around him. It was a comfortable slience, Naruto tapped his pencil on his textbook and the clicking noises of Sasuke's typing filled the air.

"What do you think Sakura sees in Kakashi?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence suddenly. Sasuke looked up from his screen to see Naruto with his pencil in his mouth, a contemplative expression on his face.

"I wouldn't know. Why?" Sasuke returned his attention to his computer, glaring a sentence that just didn't want to piece together. He didn't need to look up to know when Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know." He said slowly. "I just think they don't fit together very well, you know?" Sasuke snorted. They had an age difference of over ten years, so it was indeed a strange match, but he didn't understand Naruto's curiosity.

"I just see her with someone brighter, you know?" Naruto continued. "Younger and more like her. She's loud and vivacious and Kakashi is just old and weird."

Something clicked in Sasuke's brain and he looked up at Naruto.

"You like Sakura?" His voice was harsh as he asked the question, but he didn't understand why. It wasn't like it particularly mattered who Naruto fancied, as the blonde's mind tended to change a lot about things that weren't serious.

Naruto shrugged and grinned at him sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess." He said, scratching the back of his head. His blonde hair was sticking up in every direction from him laying on the floor.

As if Naruto had turned a key, something inside of Sasuke unlocked and burst forth. A string of mental images of Naruto with Sakura flew through his mind. Naruto and Sakura dating, Naruto and Sakura kissing, Naruto and Sakura moving in together...

The ridiculously orange guest room of his apartment empty.

A rage brewed inside of Sasuke, making his vision go red and his veins sear white-hot as the mental images continued. Naruto and Sakura married, Naruto and Sakura with kids, Naruto and Sakura forgetting all about him...

"It's not like it could ever happen though." Naruto continued, completely ignorant of the change in Sasuke's mental state. "I mean, she seems to be head over heels for Kakashi and everything. I've never been the kind of guy to get in the middle of people if they're happy."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his stomach and clenched his fists tightly, trying to focus on breathing as his thoughts got out of control. Why had Naruto even come into his life if it was just going to end like this? Did he think he could just spend all this time with Sasuke and the leave him behind for bigger and better things? How long had he liked Sakura? Was that why kept hanging around with Sasuke after the engagement party?

"Sasuke?" Naruto was standing next to him, a concerned look on his face. He crouched down so he was on eye level with Sasuke, bringing their faces close together. "Are you okay?"

Naruto's scent flooded Sasuke's nostrils but it wasn't comforting like it normally was. The blonde always smelled like citrus and sunlight. It was a smell Sasuke knew well from the many times he'd been forced to do Naruto's laundry.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice had gone up a few pitches in worry. "Do you need your meds? Are you okay? Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto shook his shoulder. Sasuke jerked to his feet, sending Naruto tumbling into the coffee table. Naruto blinked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Get out." Sasuke bit out. His teeth were clenched and his hands fisted. His entire frame vibrating with rage. "Get out now."

"Sasuke?!" Naruto pulled himself to his feet, surprised and confused. "What did I do?"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the elbow and drug him to the door. He didn't even look as the blonde as he pushed him out into the hallway. He didn't care about the hurt expression he'd see on Naruto's face.

If Naruto was going to move on, Sasuke may as well give him the push he needed.

"Sasu-" Sasuke slammed the door in Naruto's face and locked it. He slid down the steady surface behind him until he was on the floor. He put his head between his knees and tried to even out his breathing, trying not hyperventilate.

The rational side of his brain told him he was being absurd. Naruto had said himself that nothing would ever happen between him and Sakura. Sakura was getting married in a month. Naruto was young and foolish and changed his mind all the time. Nothing to panic about.

Naruto would never leave him behind.

But the other side of Sasuke's brain, the side fueled by emotion and uncertainty stomped on all of his rational thoughts.

Naruto was going to leave him, just like he'd always known he would And if he hadn't been going to before, he definitely was going to after that little episode. It was broken now. The friendship he and Naruto had was broken.

Sasuke pounded his fist onto the cold linoleum of his floor, relaxing as pain shot from his wrist up his arm. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. He didn't want anyone to know Naruto the way he knew Naruto. He didn't want anyone else to find out that Naruto's eyes twitched when he was lying, or that he kissed whatever was within five feet of him when drunk. He didn't want other people to get used to Naruto's smile, to take it for granted the way Sasuke had started to.

He didn't want anyone else to have Naruto.

An hour or so later, Sasuke drug himself to bed. The house that would usually have been filled with the sound of Naruto cooking – he was and excellent cook – and listening to music around this time was dead silent. The gray walls felt more like a box that was trying to trap Sasuke in it. Sasuke closed his eyes and pulled the blankets over his head, pinching his eyes shut and begging sleep to come and take away the weird emotions that were still alive and well within him.

He wondered when it was that he had gone from seeing Naruto as his friend to his possession. Sasuke realized as he lay there, counting the minutes that ticked by, that for some time now he'd viewed Naruto as simply _his_. Like a belonging more than a person.

That made guilt rise in Sasuke's chest. He bit his lip and glanced over at his clock. He'd been laying there for two hours and still wasn't able to sleep. The apartment was too dark and too quiet. It felt wrong and empty and dead. Sasuke grimaced. He could spend the night alone. He'd spent tons of nights alone. And Naruto only slept over at his apartment half the time anyways. Technically, he still lived with Shikamaru.

Another hour passed and Sasuke still wasn't able to sleep. He spent a good twenty minutes staring at his Blackberry before he finally picked it up, biting his lip.

He scrolled through his list of contacts and selected Naruto's name. His heart rate picked up a bit as the phone rang. Just as Sasuke gave up on getting an answer – Naruto had every right to ignore his calls, he thought grimly – someone picked up.

Silence. No one said anything. There wasn't even a hello. Sasuke bit his lip and closed his eyes. He could feel Naruto's animosity through the phone and it did nothing to quiet his racing heart.

"Naruto?" He said finally, his voice coming out cracked. Sasuke grimaced at how weak and needy he sounded.

"Yes?" Naruto's voice was stiff and defensive. Sasuke almost flinched. He hated it when Naruto directed that tone at him.

Sasuke licked his lips. "Come back?"

A few moments of silence passed and Sasuke was sure the blonde was going to tell him to go to hell and never contact him again, when Naruto surprised him.

"....Okay."


	4. Dying Song

**A/N - POV switch! We get into Naruto's head in this chapter. And then Sasuke's again. And then Naruto's....yeah, you get the gist. This took FOREVER to write and I'm still not entirely happy with it, but here it is. I'm off to work on the next chapter of Unattainable.  
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**Unbeta'd, so ignore my typos. Reviews are loved.  
**

* * *

_'I've seen these dreams being crushed by a single thought_

_And felt the envy of sadness engulf all warmth'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter 4

Dying Song

Naruto was originally introduced to the works of Uchiha Sasuke through the loss of a bet with Kiba. The overbearing brunette had set the the terms and Naruto's penalty was to read a book if he lost.

Now, to most people, that would be an easy penalty, a breath of fresh air among the outrageous schemes his friends usually cooked up. But not to Naruto. Naruto would rather have streaked naked through the campus in the dead of winter than sit down and read a book.

Why?

Because had the attention span of a goldfish and sitting still for long periods of time made him restless and fidgety. He had thought maybe he could get out of reading the novel and just claim to the others that he had, but Shino sat next to him the entire time.

So it had been a slap in the face when Naruto had found himself so absorbed in the Uchiha's debut novel '_The Lone Raven'. _From the first sentence Naruto was pulled in, completely consumed by the brilliance of the novel and it wouldn't be an understatement to say it had changed his life.

Naruto had heard of Uchiha Sasuke before then, who hadn't? The prodigy had his first novel published at age seventeen and had attended the very university Naruto was currently at. He had always thought that people were just cracking the man up to be more than he was, or giving some kind of mandatory credit because of the name Uchiha.

He had been so wrong.

Uchiha Sasuke had taken complex philosophical views and molded them in such a way that even a twelve year old would be able to understand. It was impossible to miss the moral of the story, the lessons buried in the pages, the greater meaning. The characters were so deeply connected to one another that when misfortune befell them, Naruto had found himself crying as if it was his own history printed out on the pages.

After the first novel, Naruto had gone out and purchased all of the books that were currently published by the Uchiha. He had devoured them whole, giving up many hours of sleep so he could get lost in the stories.

And then he would paint. He would paint and paint and paint, until his fingers were so tired and cramped he could barely hold the brush and he had trouble keeping his eyes open.

Uchiha Sasuke's novels had given Naruto the capability to make his own art great.

So on that fateful rainy day when Naruto had come to work and found the very person who inspired his art sitting at a booth at Nine-Tails, Naruto had almost fallen over from shock. He recognized Sasuke immediately. It was impossible not to, from the many times he'd seen various pictures of the author on the back covers of his novels. The photos were always black and white and they depicted the stoic raven as cold and reserved.

Naruto wasn't surprised to realize that that was the real face of Uchiha Sasuke. He was, however, surprised that someone so aloof and withdrawn could write so convincingly of things like passion and loss and love.

It had been months before Naruto could approach him.

Naruto, who usually only held a job for a few months until he got fed up and moved on to the next one, had found himself looking forward to coming to work everyday. Looking forward to seeing the raven haired author sitting in the same booth with his laptop open and his dark eyes squinted in concentration.

He would would watch Sasuke stealthily from the corner of his eye whenever he got the chance. When he was the one to deliver Sasuke's coffee – always black – his heart rate would pick up and his cheeks would flush as his nerves went haywire at being so close to someone he had begun to idolize in his mind.

Naruto didn't realize that he was flirting with the dangerous line that was obsession until one day, he snapped.

He woke up and knew he couldn't be content with just standing quietly and watching anymore. He wanted to be closer to the brooding dark haired author who had made such an impact on his life. Not only because he was a fan of his novels and because he greatly respected the man, but because...

Uchiha Sasuke looked so lonely.

Of all the many times the raven came to Nine-Tails, he had never once come in the company of someone else. He radiated an aura of hostility, like a sign that clearly said 'DO NOT COME NEAR ME'. It had terrified Naruto at first, but after a few months of observing the man, he realized the underlaying aura that the raven was emitting.

The small cry that seemed to roll off him, saying 'Someone, anyone, please come and save me from the dark place I've ended up'.

It was that more than anything that convinced Naruto to give Sasuke the flyer that day. He had been so nervous that he was shaking as he had sat down across from the dark-haired man. He had babbled and rambled under the scrutiny of the raven's gaze, but his determination didn't waver.

He had never expected it to work. Never expected to be given the time of day. So when Sasuke showed up to his art showing looking as stoic and indifferent as ever, Naruto's jaw had dropped.

His friends were constantly teasing him about his fixation with Sasuke. Going on and on about how Naruto was in love with the Uchiha. Naruto had taken their teasing and stride, knowing deep in his chest that maybe they weren't entirely wrong, maybe he was in love with Sasuke.

But it wasn't the normal type of love that people experience. It wasn't the meeting and flirting and falling in love story that everyone told.

It was something so much deeper than that. Something so consuming that Naruto felt like he was drowning in an ocean every time he looked at Sasuke.

When he and Sasuke had gone to the movie together, Naruto had babbled and rambled like he usually did throughout the entire thing. He was sure he was making a fool of himself and couldn't fathom why the raven had actually agreed to go in the first place, as he barely said a word the entire time.

But something that had been growing restless inside of Naruto quieted in the presence of Sasuke. Something inside of Naruto became content.

When they became friends, Naruto's life had never been more filled with happiness.

Naruto unlocked his apartment and kicked the door closed behind him. He rolled his eyes as he took in the sight of Shikamaru, bent of with his head on the coffee table, asleep.

Naruto dropped the box of pizza in his hands right next to Shikamaru's ear, causing the boy to groan in protest at the loud noise it made.

"Get up." Naruto said, removing his bag from his shoulders and tossing it on the worn couch behind Shikamaru. "If you sleep like that, you'll be in pain tomorrow."

Shikamaru blinked up at him with mildly surprised eyes and then opened the box of pizza and took a piece out. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Still nothing from Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, sounding disinterested. Naruto grimaced and ignored him, walking into his room to check his e-mail. Sasuke had been gone for seventeen days on a book tour and hadn't contacted Naruto once since the day he left. Naruto, while greatly offended by this, was also a little relieved.

Things had gotten kind of weird between him and Sasuke.

So, of course when Naruto saw that message sitting in his inbox from Sasuke, his heart sped up and he bit his lip. After all this time, Sasuke had finally sent him an e-mail. He had given up any hope of getting one a week ago. He gave up any hope of a phone call after the first two days.

Naruto snorted when he read the message Sasuke had sent him. _'Back in three days.'_

This is what he had waited for? That was barely a sentence. Weren't literary types supposed to be talkative?

Naruto was pulled out of his brooding when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, not able to help the wide smile that took over his face because of who was calling.

"Hey." He greeted casually. "Long time, no talk." There was a silence that last for a few seconds, making Naruto scrunch his brows in concern.

"I'm coming back." Gaara finally said. Naruto's jaw dropped.

"What do you mean you're coming back?" He demanded. Gaara lived two hours away, in Suna. He and Naruto rarely got to see each other anymore, much to Naruto's dismay. He and Gaara had met at the foster home when they were twelve, and been close ever since. Naruto had kicked up quite a protest when Gaara had told him he'd accepted the scholarship to Suna University. The last time they had seen each other was at the art showing, and that was only because it was a collaboration between the art departments of the two colleges.

"I'm transferring to Konoha U." Gaara said shortly. "Temari talked me into it."

Temari was Gaara's older sister. Naruto had only met her a handful of times, but he liked her. She was loud and kind of bossy, but a good person. She and Gaara, along with their brother Kankuro, had been thrust into foster care at a young age. It was only after they were eighteen that they managed to get in contact with one another. They'd been sent to different foster homes.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, he was excited and nervous at the same time. "You seemed so set on staying at Suna."

He could almost hear Gaara shrug through the phone. "Things change." Was his brief explanation. A large grin broke across Naruto's face.

"When do you get here?" He asked, not bothering to keep the excitement out of his voice. Gaara was coming back, and that was something to be happy about.

"Next week."

"Where are you staying?"

"With Kankuro." A slight disappoint rose in Naruto, but he pushed it back. It was expected that Gaara would stay with his siblings instead of him. He and Shikamaru really didn't have the room anyways, he told himself. A comfortable silence fell between them. Gaara had never been much of a talker, so Naruto was used to the quiet.

"Well," He said finally. "I'm glad."

Gaara grunted. They exchanged a quick goodbye and hung up. Naruto scrolled through his list of contacts and selected Kiba's name.

"What do you want?" Kiba grunted into the phone. His voice was strained. He'd probably stubbed his toe on something. The boy never could quite figure out how to walk correctly.

"We're going out tonight!" Naruto exclaimed. "Drinks on me, it's a celebration."

"Why?" Kiba asked, sounding curious.

"Gaara's coming back." Naruto said shortly. A surprised silence greeted him at the statement and then Kiba let out a bark of a laugh.

"You serious? That is awesome. I haven't seen the ginger in forever." Kiba had never been as close to Gaara as Naruto had, but they were friends in the lighter sense of the word. Meaning that Kiba liked to annoy Gaara and Gaara liked to ignore him.

"I'm as serious as a heart attack." Naruto grabbed his wallet off his desk and pulled on his bright orange hoody. "And to this great news, we must drink!"

Kiba let out a loud hurrah and told Naruto he would call up Hinata and the gang and then they hung up. Naruto checked to make sure he had everything he needed before rushing out of the apartment, dragging Shikamaru with him.

But not before he sent an excited e-mail to Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke loved what he did for a living. There was nothing that pleased him as much as writing. It was his passion, his calling. It was the best job he could have asked for, as it didn't involve constantly working with people in an overcrowded office.

But there were parts of his job that he hated.

Namely, book tours.

He hated book tours with a passion as warm and burning as ten thousand suns about to explode all at the same time. He hated the constant travel, the overly-enthusiastic fans, the other authors.

Especially the other authors.

Sasuke sat in the small restaurant of his hotel with his laptop open in front of him. He didn't even looked up when Suigetsu sat down in front of him. Suigetsu and Karin were the other two authors from his publishing house that had been roped into going on this joke of a tour.

Sasuke didn't like either of them.

Karin was like every other woman Sasuke had ever met. Bossy, annoying and constantly throwing herself at him. No matter how many times Sasuke deterred her advances, she just came back for more. He was beginning to suspect she was a masochist.

Suigetsu was gay.

Not that Sasuke cared one way or the other about a persons sexual orientation. He was pretty much asexual himself, so what room did he have to judge? No, it wasn't the actual being gay that bothered Sasuke.

It was Suigetsu's constant need to try and feel him up. Sasuke had thought the idiot had learned his lesson after he almost broke his wrist, but apparently he need another reminder. Sasuke wondered what bone he would have to break to render Suigetsu incapable of groping his ass.

"Saaasuke!" Suigetsu reached across the the table and pushed Sasuke's laptop closed. Sasuke growled. "I'm bored." The white haired man said, smiling at him. Sasuke glared harder when Suigetsu's filed teeth were exposed. Author's were expected to be eccentric, but Suigetsu had taken it to a whole new level when he had all of his teeth filed to points.

"I don't care." Sasuke deadpanned, ignoring the look of mock-hurt on Suigetsu's face as he opened his laptop again. He checked his e-mail and wasn't surprised to see a message from Naruto waiting in his inbox.

Sasuke didn't know whether to be relieved or not. Things had been strained between him and Naruto since Sasuke's episode. Their silences had grown tense instead of comfortable and Sasuke hadn't know what to do about it.

He had never apologized for freaking out that night. Because apologizing meant he had to explain what had happened, and Sasuke really didn't know what had happened himself. And then he had left for the book tour with nothing more than an awkward goodbye.

The situation had plagued Sasuke's thoughts every minute for the last seventeen days.

Suigetsu huffed as Sasuke continued to ignore him and got up and walked away. Sasuke smirked. At least he was still capable of driving people away, that was a talent he didn't want to lose. Though Suigetsu and Karin both seemed immune to his animosity most of the time.

Sasuke opened the e-mail from Naruto and his eyes widened as he read it's contents.

'_Sasuke! You'll never guess what happened. Remember that friend I told you about, Gaara? Well he's transferring to Konoha U! He'll be here next week and I'm going to introduce him to you, whether you like it or not. I gotta go! Me and Kiba are going out drinking to celebrate.'_

Sasuke remembered Naruto talking about Gaara. He was supposedly Naruto's oldest and closest friend. Naruto had spent far more talking about him than Sasuke liked. Pangs of jealousy had stabbed at his chest every time Gaara was mentioned. His only solace had been that Gaara was far away at Suna and he had Naruto all to himself.

Sasuke slammed his laptop closed and shoved it inside of his bag. He fished his Blackberry out of his pocket and called Sakura. He hadn't spoken to her since her wedding. She'd been gone on her honeymoon and he'd been busy with the book tour.

Usually, Sasuke never called Sakura, but he needed someone to talk to. He needed to vent about the weird emotion that had once again risen in his chest and Sakura was the only person he could talk to about it.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't surprised when he unlocked his apartment and found Naruto inside. The blonde was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled amazing. Sasuke licked his lips, unsure of how to announce his presence.

Naruto turned around and grinned at him. "You're late!" He accused jokingly. "You said three days. It's after midnight, that's four."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and lugged his suitcase to his room, tossing it on his bed. He'd unpack later.

He wandered back out into the living, unsure of what to do with himself. He didn't know what to say to Naruto or how to act anymore

Especially after his phone call with Sakura.

She had bluntly told Sasuke that he was experiencing the early symptoms of love for the blonde idiot. Then she had gone on to tell Sasuke that she had suspected it would turn out this way all along. He could still hear the smug tone she had used echoing in his ears.

But she was wrong.

Sasuke wasn't in love with Naruto, that wasn't possible. He wouldn't deny that he harbored some sort of affection for the idiot, but nothing romantic. Whatever he felt for Naruto was deeper than that, stronger.

Naruto had made stir-fry. They ate on the couch as Naruto babbled about the return of his infamous friend Gaara. Sasuke studied the blonde through out the conversation, trying to decipher what exactly it was he felt for him.

"So," Naruto said through a bite of stir-fry. "How was the tour?"

Sasuke shrugged and Naruto rolled his eyes. "Come on, something interesting had to have happened!"

Sasuke snorted. "The only thing that happened was Suigetsu and Karin annoying me for twenty days."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Those are the other authors?" Sasuke nodded and took a bite of his own stir-fry, savoring the taste. "What's so annoying about them?"

"They sexually harassed me the entire time." Sasuke grimaced at the loud burst of laughter this brought from Naruto. It wasn't funny.

"Wait, both of them?" Naruto was clutching his side and trying to catch his breath. "Isn't Suigetsu a guy?"

"He's gay." Sasuke said shortly, putting his plate on the coffee table. Naruto's big blue eyes had widened comically and his mouth was parted slightly.

"Wow," He said finally. "You attract players from both sides of the field, don't you?" Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. This subject was too close to the one he desperately wanted to avoid.

"Wait," Naruto had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Sasuke, have you ever even _been _in love?"

Sasuke let his head fall back on the couch and closed his eyes. Trust Naruto bring up the one thing he didn't want to talk about. He decided not to answer, which turned out to be a mistake.

"You haven't, have you?" Naruto pointed at him accusingly. "I think we've figured out your problem! We need to get you laid!"

Sasuke snorted. "That doesn't make any sense, idiot." He tossed one of the pillows on the couch in Naruto's face and almost laughed as the blonde spluttered indignantly. When Naruto finally regained his composure, he looked serious and thoughtful. Sasuke didn't like that one bit.

"Sure it does." He said slowly. "It explains why you're so tense, you know? All that built up tension or whatever, but that's not the point!" Naruto pointed his finger at Sasuke again and Sasuke glared back at him. "The point is, love is a wonderful thing. It makes people want to better themselves or some crap like that! So we need to find you some."

"I have no interest in having a romantic relationship with anyone." Sasuke said flatly. Naruto frowned at him.

"Why not? Most people can't wait to find their soul mates and settle down."

"I'm not most people." Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto shook his head rapidly in disbelief, causing his golden locks to fly around wildly. Sasuke had a sudden impulse to put his fingers in Naruto's hair and find out if it was as soft as it looked.

"Of course you're not most people," Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're Sasuke. Which means you're are a cold bastard who's standards are probably too high for any human to meet."

"You're an idiot." Sasuke said shortly. He picked up the remote and turned on the television, trying to ignore Naruto.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto's joking tone turned serous. "But I'm right. Cause _everybody_ wants to be loved, Sasuke. Even you."

Sasuke didn't answer that, afraid of what would come out of his mouth if he opened it.

* * *

Naruto was happy. More so than he had ever been.

Sasuke was home and they'd seemed to get over whatever awkward tension had formed between them. Naruto was glad they were back to normal. All of the anxiety that had built in his chest while Sasuke was on tour had dissolved as they resumed their usual routine. He'd been fearing that maybe things would never get fixed and Sasuke would stop talking to him.

Naruto didn't think he'd be able to live if that happened.

Gaara had arrived safely and come to see Naruto as soon as he'd gotten into Konoha. Naruto had helped the stoic redhead unpack his things and get settled at Kankuro's. The redhead didn't say much, but he didn't really have too. He knew Gaara was as happy with the reunion as he was.

He and Gaara had gone to Iruka's the day of his arrival and had dinner. Iruka had acted as ridiculously happy as Naruto felt when he saw Gaara. Iruka had adopted Naruto when the blonde was fifteen, and while he couldn't afford to take in Naruto and Gaara both, Gaara had been around enough to be considered a second son.

Everything seemed to be going well. His grades were good, his friends were awesome, Sasuke had stopped being weird. Everything was great.

And then Gaara met Sasuke.

Naruto had been looking forward to introducing the two. They were both the silent type, so he'd been sure they'd hit it off and then all three of them would be close.

So what actually happened had come as a total shock.

Gaara and Sasuke sat glaring at each other in a booth at Nine-Tails while Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably from beside Sasuke. There was a strange tension in the air that he didn't understand, but he didn't like it.

"So, Gaara, this is the one I've been telling you about, Uchiha Sasuke." He said finally, attempting to break the silence. Gaara inclined his head in Sasuke's direction but his gaze had shifted to Naruto, making the blonde fidget all the more. Finally, Gaara spoke.

"I've read your books." His voice was toneless. "They're good."

"Hn." Was Sasuke's response. Which was normal for Sasuke, but the slightly hostile edge to the condescending syllable was not.

The tension in the air seemed to thicken.

"Naruto!" Naruto jumped in surprise and looked toward the bar. Ino was motioning him over. He got up quickly, thankful for an escape from the strange standoff between his two friends.

"What's up?" Naruto said, sitting down on one of the stools and grabbing a cookie out of one of the many display cases.

"Nothing." Ino said shortly, putting her elbow on the bar and leaning forward. Her voice was low. "You just looked like a drowning man desperate for a lifeline, so I thought I'd give you one. What is going on over there?"

Naruto grimaced. "I don't know. I figured they'd get along, cause they're both withdrawn bastards, you know? But the opposite seems to have happen. I think they hate each other."

Ino's eyes widened and she flicked the bangs out of her eyes with her free hand. "That's really weird. I've never seen Gaara act like that before."

"Me neither." Naruto agreed, sending a glance back toward the table. Sasuke was in the middle of saying something, a glare on his face. Naruto was out of earshot, but he was sure whatever they were talking about was not pleasant. "Crap." He stuffed the rest of his cookie in his mouth and got up. "I gotta get back over there before they rip each other's throats out."

Ino nodded to him. "If they start fighting, I'll kick all of you out."

Naruto ignored her and rushed back over to the booth just as Sasuke was getting out of it. The look on Sasuke's face wasn't good. Gaara was glaring at the raven with cold eyes.

"What's going on?" Naruto demanded. Gaara shrugged and lifted his cup of coffee to his lips, looking away.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke's voice seemed to quake with quieted rage. It made the hair on Naruto's arms stand up.

"Wait, what?" Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Ask him." Sasuke grunted, pushing past Naruto. Naruto as Sasuke walked out of Nine-Tails and took a few seconds to collect himself before turning to Gaara. He was going to demand the redhead explain, but Gaara just shook his head at Naruto in a way that said he didn't want to talk about it.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and let out a growl of frustration.

* * *

It was two-thirty in the morning and Sasuke wasn't asleep. But that didn't mean he welcomed the loud banging on his front door. He yanked it open to see Naruto standing in the hallway, fist raised as if it pound on the door again.

"What?" Sasuke snapped. Naruto shook his head and pushed passed Sasuke into the apartment. Sasuke shut the door.

"I left my key here the other day. Sorry for being so loud." Naruto said. Sasuke watched the blond set his orange backpack down on the kitchen counter. He saw Naruto's shoulders fall and rise in a deep breath before the blonde turned to him with a determined expression.

"Want to tell me what the hell happened between you and Gaara?" He asked bluntly. Sasuke clenched his fists. He should have known Naruto had come over to talk about this.

"Nothing." At least his voice was still impassive. On the inside, he was seething. A mere thought of what the redhead had said to him made Sasuke want to punch a hole through the wall.

"You're lying." Naruto accused, taking a step closer to him. Sasuke fought the urge to back up. "Gaara never acts like that."

Sasuke felt a strong wave of jealousy rise in his chest as Naruto defended his friend. He didn't want to deal with this. Didn't want to face whatever it is that caused him to lay awake at night, thinking of the blonde. Confronting it was impossible, because Sasuke didn't know what _it _was. But the possessive way Gaara had talked about Naruto had caused Sasuke to get so angry he could have gladly killed the other man.

"Then why don't you ask him." Sasuke spat. Naruto's blue eyes narrowed further at the hostile tone.

"I did. He told me to ask you. So here I am." Naruto's voice was cold and it sounded unfamiliar. Sasuke wasn't used to the angry side of Naruto, he'd only seen it a handful of times. Naruto was usually happen and unphased, it took a lot to get the blonde angry.

"Well you're wasting your time." Sasuke crossed his arms and pulled his impassive mask onto his face. "I've got nothing to tell you."

"The hell you don't!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke almost flinched, surprised by the outburst. "Something happened between you guys and I think I have the right to know what it is!" Naruto closed the gap between them by taking a few steps forward. He was right in Sasuke's face and looked threatening, despite being slightly shorter than the raven.

Emotions swirled in Sasuke's chest. His had itched to reach out and grab Naruto, to touch him. How, he didn't know. He just wanted the physical contact. He clamped his arms closer to his body.

"You're really not going to tell me?" Naruto demanded. "When I tell you everything, don't keep anything from you, you're not going to tell me what the hell happened between you and _my _friend?"

The tension in the air was so thick that Sasuke could almost taste it. He didn't know what to do. Telling Naruto would mean having to admit something he wasn't ready for, but not telling him meant that the blonde would probably never talk to him again.

Naruto took a few steps forward, making Sasuke retreat until his back was against the wall. Naruto's arms went on either side of Sasuke, pinning him to the wall. Sasuke did not like that at _all_.

"You know," Naruto's voice was low and seething. "I think I'm pretty fucking tolerant of you, Sasuke. I put up with your insane mood swings and 'I don't give a shit' attitude. But you've gone too far this time."

Sasuke ground his teeth together. "Get away away from me." He bit out. When Naruto didn't move, Sasuke pushed him. Naruto stumbled back a few feet and then regained his composure, glaring at Sasuke.

"Is this how it's going to be Sasuke? You're just gonna shut me out whenever there's something you don't want to talk about? Then why am I even here at all? If you're going to treat me like I don't exist and I don't matter, I may as well fucking leave!"

Sasuke's chest clenched in panic. If Naruto left now, he'd never come back. Sasuke knew that and wasn't okay with it. Naruto was his life line, the thing that kept him connected to the outside world, the annoying voice that woke him up in the mornings.

Anger surged inside of Sasuke and his vision went red. His body started shaking and he clenched his fists to his sides. Naruto threatening to leave him was not acceptable. He wouldn't allow it.

"You want to know the truth?" Sasuke seethed, "You want to know the fucking truth, Naruto?" It was Sasuke who closed the distance between them this time, getting in Naruto's face. The blonde didn't step back. "The fucking truth is there is something dark and twisted inside of me that's want to pull you in and fucking devour you whole, until you can't even think about anything except me. There's something sick and fucked up inside of my head that wants to take you away from all of those damn people you care about until I'm the only one left. That's the fucking truth" He spat the words out of his mouth like poison.

Naruto's expression didn't change. Silence pulsed between them for a few seconds. Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He'd said it. He'd said what had been on his mind for months, what had pulling at his thoughts every second he was with Naruto. He'd made his selfish desires known and now the blonde would freak out and leave anyways. Perfect.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, Naruto was ever closer than before, there noses were almost touching. Sasuke didn't understand the look that was alive in Naruto's blue eyes, but it seemed to hypnotize him.

Naruto's next words hit Sasuke like an anvil falling on his head.

"Then do it."

* * *

TBC


	5. Disarm Me With Your Loneliness

**A/N - This chapter was extremely difficult for me to write, but also very easy at the same time. This was my first time ever writing a romantic scene, so I'm sorry if it sucks! . I hope you guys like it, I had tons of fun writing it. Reviews are extremely loved, and the more you give me, the faster I'll want to update to get more reviews...! XD**

**Unbeta'd, as always. Ignore my dumb typos.  
**

* * *

_'Tell me how much it hurts, my love._

_Tell me how my kiss can change your world._

_Tell me how much it hurts to be alone,_

_Tell me that you love me with all your heart.'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter 5

Disarm Me With Your Loneliness

The reasons why Sasuke kept to himself had always been quite simple. People disappoint. People lie. People are never what they appear to be. So why trust them?

He had learned this firsthand.

Coming from the Uchiha family, things like honesty and affection were almost nonexistent. Sasuke could count the number of hugs he'd received from his mother on one hand. He'd never received a hug from his father. Uchiha's were cold and reserved, always in control. It was the what he had been taught from birth.

But it was such a lie.

Beneath the cold facade, the Uchiha's were alive with emotion and none of it was ever good. Sasuke knew that his mother practically hated his father for all of his misdeeds toward her. He knew his brother had lost faith in his own family, just as Sasuke had. He knew his father cared more about who he was bedding on the side than his own family.

Sasuke had realized from a young age that bonds were something dangerous and unnecessary. He could do just fine on his own, he didn't need anyone else. If he ever gave into another person, they'd hold power of him forever. They'd be capable of hurting him. He'd cut everyone out of his life to avoid that very thing.

Being hurt.

Sasuke understood emotional pain as well as any one person could, but he didn't know how to handle it or how to get over it. Being unable to counter the intense emotional blows that growing up in a loveless environment had given him had probably been the beginning of his anxiety problems. They grew over time and eventually he stopped getting close to people because of it.

And that had given him nothing but loneliness.

It seemed like a lose-lose situation. Be close to people and be hurt, or be alone and lonely. He'd thought he could handle the loneliness, but he'd been wrong. Naruto had shown him just how wrong he had been.

Naruto.

Sasuke cracked his eyes open and saw his familiar bedroom ceiling above him. Sun was peaking in the windows, despite the curtains. His brain struggled to right itself as it brushed off the last few moments of sleep that lingered.

Sasuke felt something warm on his neck. He turned his head slightly and his eyes widened at the sight of Naruto curled up underneath his blue comforter. Why was Naruto in his bed? Sasuke blinked a few times as the memory of last nights argument came flooding back to him.

He had finally told Naruto about his feelings. Whatever those feelings were. Sasuke still didn't know what he felt for the blonde exactly, just that it wasn't normal friendship. It wasn't normal, no matter what it was.

But Naruto hadn't freaked out like Sasuke had expected him to. Sasuke could recall the strange look in the blonde's eyes as he had closed the gap between them slowly and...

Naruto had kissed him.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the memory. He lifted a hand from underneath his blankets and raised it to his lips, trying to remember what it had felt like. He remembered Naruto's lips were somehow rough and soft at the same time and that Naruto had put a hand on his cheek and his heart rate had sped so fast he thought he was going to die and then....nothing.

He couldn't remember anything after that.

Naruto shifted slightly in his sleep, drawing Sasuke's attention back to him. He was curled up in the fetal position, only his head visible among the mass of blankets. His blonde hair was sticking up all over the place and his brow was furrowed slightly. A blush crept over Sasuke's cheeks as Naruto shifted again and his neck arched, stretching the soft tan skin there.

He wondered what Naruto was dreaming about as he ignored the sudden increase of his heart rate. Naruto had never slept in his bed before, he'd always stayed in the guest room. It shouldn't have mattered to Sasuke one way or the other where Naruto slept, but something about having the blonde in his bed made him anxious, excited and oddly possessive. He turned on his side slightly, so he could look at Naruto more comfortably.

Naruto's expression was almost pained. His face was scrunched and his eyes squinted closed, like he was trying to block out a bad memory. Sasuke frowned, torn on whether he should wake Naruto up or just stay like this for a while longer...

And then bright blue eyes were staring back at him.

Sasuke blushed slightly as Naruto blinked tiredly, then a sheepish grin spread across the blonde's face.

"Hey." He sounded groggy and content as he pulled the blankets closer around him and snuggled into the pillows, bringing him a few inches closer to Sasuke.

"Hey." Sasuke's voice was breathy from nerves. All he could seem to think about was the fact that Naruto had kissed him. "Mind telling me why you're in my bed?"

"Mm." Naruto closed his eyes, still smiling. "You passed out last night and I had to lug you all the way in here. You were heavy and I was exhausted so I just kind of fell asleep."

"I passed out?" That would certainly explain the loss of memory concerning the kiss. Sasuke blushed, embarrassed at having shown such a weakness. He remembered now that his thoughts had been a mess and his heart had been racing and the contact had been too much...

"Yeah." Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke with the same look as the night before. Something Sasuke couldn't quite name. His bright eyes were passionate and affectionate and looked as possessive, like Sasuke had felt a few seconds ago.

"Oh." Sasuke didn't know what to say. Silence lapsed between them and Sasuke focused on the strange feeling of Naruto's body heat. He'd never slept in the same bed with someone else. It was oddly comforting and nerve-wracking at the same time. He was compelled to close the few inches between them and press against Naruto's warmth, but was terrified to do it at the same time.

"So..." Naruto had closed his eyes again. His face was pressed against the pillow, snuggling it. The contrast of the white pillowcase on Naruto's tan skin and bright blonde hair made the blonde look oddly angelic. "Are you going to tell me why you and Gaara fought?"

Sasuke stiffened. He'd been hoping after the drama of the previous night Naruto had let it go, but that didn't appear to be the case. He didn't really want to talk about it, but knew it was pointless to avoid after the strange confession he'd made. He heaved an annoyed sigh.

"He...told me that I couldn't have you." Sasuke started slowly. The very memory of it irritated him. "He made it sound like I was trying to take you away from all the good things in your life or something. He said he wouldn't let me."

"Hm." Naruto seemed contemplative. "I can imagine him saying something like that. Gaara's always been protective."

"The way he talked about you..." Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to calm the angry feeling coursing through him. "He made it sound like you belonged to him."

Naruto opened his eyes again and looked straight into Sasuke's. A slight smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and his eyes danced with humor.

"Were you jealous?" The blonde's voice was teasing and Sasuke grimaced. He didn't want to admit to being jealous over the blonde, because that would mean admitting Naruto mattered to him. Something he'd never said out loud before. He thought it over slowly before finally deciding that he owed Naruto the truth.

"Maybe." He said finally. Naruto's eyes widened slightly and then softened as a grin broke across his face. Sasuke jumped in surprise as Naruto scooted closer to him. They lay facing each other on their sides, which brought there faces extremely close together.

"Are you in love with me, Sasuke?" Naruto's question took Sasuke by surprise. He worked to maintain a passive expression as his heart jumped wildly in his chest and his cheeks reddened.

Was he in love with Naruto? Sakura certainly seemed to think so, and the way he was acting was like a jealous boyfriend. Being around Naruto made him feel content and fulfilled, and being apart from him made Sasuke nervous and lonely. Was that love? Or was that just needing someone? What exactly was love, anyways?

"I don't know." Sasuke admitted, his cheeks burned with a harsh blush as he whispered. He wondered if Naruto had been expecting him to say yes, or if the blonde had been hoping for a no. Sasuke searched Naruto's face for any sign of disappointment, but found none. Naruto had that same strange expression of affection.

"Want to know something, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was a whisper too, and the intensity of it made Sasuke shift uncomfortably under the blankets. "I don't know if I'm in love with you either."

Sasuke's eyes widened visibly and Naruto grinned at him. Did that mean Naruto might be in love with him? Or that he might not be? Or that the blonde had been thinking the same strange thoughts that Sasuke had? Sasuke's mind took off in a thousand directions as Naruto suddenly sat up and rolled off the bed.

"Breakfast?" Naruto said, picking up his orange hoody from on top of Sasuke's desk. Sasuke stared at him dumbly for a few seconds and then licked his lips and nodded. In truth, he kind of wanted to be alone to process everything that had happened, but he would never pass up a chance for Naruto's company.

Naruto flashed him a grin, his eyes lingering warmly on Sasuke's face. Sasuke thought if his heart sped any faster he'd either explode or melt. "Good!" Naruto said happily, leaned over the bed and fishing under the covers until he found Sasuke's hand and yanked him forward. "Cause I'm in the mood for pancakes."

The look on the blonde's face was so intimate that Sasuke realized he had no choice but to melt into that warmth. He let Naruto pull him out of bed numbly as he tried to sort out his strange feelings.

* * *

Sasuke really didn't like the sun. Even though it was unseasonably cold for spring, the bright sunshine was still beating down on Konoha as he and Naruto walked through one of the larger parks in their area. Sunlight always contrasted with his melancholy mood and made him feel like he was being unreasonable in his cynicism.

Naruto was walking in step beside him and Sasuke could he hear the loud and steady beats that were pouring out of the blonde's headphones. Naruto always listened to music at full volume. It made Sasuke wonder how the blonde had gone so long without impairing his hearing.

Sasuke stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and stared at his feet as they walked. Breakfast had been good. More than good. It hadn't been awkward, like Sasuke had been expecting it to be. He and Naruto had bickered per usual and there was no tension in the air. Sasuke wondered idly if Naruto was trying as hard to ignore these odd feelings as he was. When Naruto had suggested they take a walk, Sasuke had merely shrugged and followed the blonde.

He was beginning to regret it. They'd been walking aimlessly for two hours and he was getting tired. He felt emotionally and physically spent and had a great desire to go back home and curl up in his bed again. He wondered if his sheets would smell like citrus from Naruto sleeping on them.

As if Naruto had read his mind, the blonde sat down on a nearby bench. He motioned for Sasuke to sit next to him as he took off his headphones. Sasuke conceded and sat down. They watched the water of the large fountain in front of them quietly.

Sasuke didn't know what to say to Naruto. Naruto usually was the one to initiate conversations and they certainly had things to talk about. Sasuke didn't know where to begin or what to think, but he knew there short conversation from earlier that morning couldn't have been the end of it.

His heart felt strange with the realization that maybe he felt more for Naruto than he should. It was clenched and anxious and racing all the time. Sasuke didn't think he'd ever blushed so much as he had today. It annoyed him, as he wasn't the blushing kind of guy.

The possibility of being in love with Naruto opened up a Pandora's box of questions in his mind. Did this make him gay? He'd never been in love with anyone before. He'd never been interested enough to fall in love with someone, man or woman. He'd thought for a long time now he was asexual.

No, he decided. Being in love with Naruto didn't make him gay. It wasn't a physical attraction, for the most part, though Sasuke couldn't deny that Naruto was indeed nice to look at. It was purely emotional and so consuming that he felt like he'd drown in his own thoughts every time Naruto crossed his mind.

He didn't really care if he was gay or not, it was of very little interest to him. He just knew that he _felt _something toward Naruto that he'd never felt for another person. That was enough.

Was he in love with Naruto?

The question had been gnawing at him for a while now. Ever since Sakura had brought it up. He was certainly interested in Naruto. Possessive to the point of obsession. He felt a strong affection for the blonde, one that made his chest warm and his legs go weak. Sasuke didn't have an answer to the question, because even though he'd written about love so much in his novels, he'd never been _in _love before.

Was Naruto in love with him?

Sasuke knew Naruto wasn't gay because he had expressed interest in Sakura. Did that mean Naruto wasn't in love with him? Or did Naruto swing both ways? Was he still interested in Sakura? Sasuke grimaced at the thought. It was certainly more understandable for Naruto to be interested in Sakura rather than him. Sasuke knew better than anyone how cold and detached he could be. Naruto was warm and open all the time, so of course he'd be interested in someone more like himself.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was leaning over waving his hand in Sasuke's face. "Are you still with me? Hellooo?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed Naruto's hand away. A strange feeling jumped in his stomach as their fingers made contact. A strange question came to mind and he debated asking. What the hell? It seemed like today was a day for honesty, so he may as well.

"What do you think of me, Naruto?" His voice was toneless, but his heart was jumping around his chest nervously as he said the words. He had never considered what Naruto thought of him before, only what he thought of Naruto.

The blonde's eyebrows shot up at the sudden question and a strange expression came over his face. "That's kind of a loaded question, Sasuke."

Well that didn't sound good. Sasuke stared at Naruto expectantly. He'd actually gone to the trouble of asking so he wasn't going to let Naruto get away with not answering. Naruto heaved a sigh and leaned back on the bench, stuffing his hand into the large pocket of his orange hoody and looking at the sky.

"I think..." He trailed off for a few seconds before continuing. "I think you're an abrasive asshole who is usually only concerned with himself."

Sasuke bristled and Naruto smirked as he looked at the bright white clouds above them. "I also think," His tone was crossed between amusement and seriousness. "That you're really lonely and shy and confused. That you don't know how to handle to people or be with them and that is why you're an abrasive asshole."

Well, at least he'd clarified, Sasuke thought grimly.

"You're stubborn and caring, even though you don't know how to show it. You're fun to annoy." Naruto grinned at this. "And you desperately want someone to be close to, to save you from your loneliness. You need someone to take care of you."

Naruto tilted his head to look at Sasuke at this point, his eyes were soft as his blonde hair fell over them and the smile on his face was small and genuine. "And I think I could be that person."

Sasuke snorted. He, Uchiha Sasuke, needed to be taken care of? While it was unthinkable, some part of it knew it was very true. He wanted someone to lean on, someone to chase away the bad things and hold him close, telling him everything would be okay. Naruto understood him more than he'd ever guessed.

"You want to take care of me?" Sasuke was extremely intrigued by that statement. What exactly did it mean? As a friend? As family? Romantically? He wanted to know.

"Yep." Naruto stretched his arms over his head. "I've always wanted to take care of you." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, surprised by this confession. Naruto let his hands fall to his lap and glanced over at Sasuke with a sly look.

"What do you think of me?" He asked curiously. Sasuke almost groaned. He should have known questions like this go both ways. Naruto had answered him honestly so he'd have to answer Naruto just as honestly.

He thought about it. About how warm Naruto was, how carefree. How Naruto cared about everyone more than himself and was willing to go an extra mile for the people he held dear. How loudly the blonde laughed and how messy his face was when he cried. He thought about all of the times Naruto had sat next to him while he wrote, never saying anything, just quietly supporting him. He smiled ruefully at the fact that the blonde always spoke without thinking, and how it usually got him in trouble.

Naruto was staring at him expectantly and Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his black hair nervously. He wasn't the type to give long winded speeches and most of that was too embarrassing to say, so he settled on getting his point out in one sentence.

"I think you're perfect." His tone was matter-of-fact and he stared down at his hands as he said it. He couldn't quite help the blush that crawled up his neck and washed over his cheeks. It was embarrassing, but it was true. Naruto was everything Sasuke admired in a person, everything Sasuke himself wasn't.

"You think I'm perfect?" Sasuke lifted his dark eyes to meet Naruto's and nodded. The blonde was staring at him in disbelief, but smiling slightly. Naruto scratched the back of his head and flashed Sasuke a closed-eye smile. Sasuke noticed that it seemed kind of forced, but didn't ask.

"Well, thanks, I guess." Naruto's tone was light, but Sasuke didn't miss the way his bright blue eyes were slightly strained. He just shrugged in response and relaxed onto the bench, looking up at the brightly lit sky. His eyes squinted in the sunlight which annoyed him as he watched a banana shaped cloud float by.

Eventually, Naruto relaxed next to Sasuke and looked up at the sky as well. They were quiet for a while, both lost in thought. Sasuke was thinking about the latest draft of his novel, trying to distract himself from his own feelings, when something touched his hand. He jumped.

He looked down to see a tan hand covering his pale one and then looked up at Naruto. The look on the blonde's face was so disarming in it's intimacy that Sasuke couldn't even find his voice to protest, not that he exactly wanted to. Naruto's hand was warm and comforting.

"What are we?" Sasuke voiced the thought out loud, half talking to himself, half hoping Naruto had the answer. Were they just extremely close friends? Or were they lovers now? He searched Naruto's face but the blonde looked just as lost as he did.

"I don't know." Naruto admitted, looking down at their hands. His brow furrowed in thought as he examined them. "I think we're just us." He said finally, shrugging. Sasuke nodded and repositioned his hand, locking his fingers with Naruto's as he looked back up at the annoyingly bright sky. He sighed.

"I guess." He agreed. That was answer enough for now. He didn't need to know or understand everything right away. As long as Naruto was there, he'd figure it out eventually. If Naruto left him, Sasuke had a feeling he'd be lost forever.

The thought made him squeeze Naruto's hand tightly.

* * *

Naruto padded over to the door with a smile on his face. He was in a good mood and had been all day. Ever since he'd woken up next to Sasuke. He opened the door to find Sakura standing on the other side, a serious expression on her face. Her pink hair was in a loose ponytail and her hands were on the hips of her tight jeans.

"Hey." He greeted cheerily, leaning on the door frame. "Sasuke's not here. He went to the store."

"Good." Sakura said, pushing passed him and walking inside. "I came to talk to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion as Sakura grabbed a soda out of Sasuke's fridge and plopped down on one of the love seats in the living room.

"What about?" He asked, following suit and sitting down on the couch. Sakura opened her soda and took a long drink before sitting it down and curling up on chair. Well at least he didn't have to tell her to make herself at home.

"Sasuke." Sakura deadpanned.

"What about him?" Naruto's good mood wilted a bit at the serious expression she was still wearing. He had a feeling this was one conversation that he should have tried to avoid.

Sakura looked Naruto up and down from where she sat. Naruto felt naked under the scrutiny and fidgeted his hands idly. Eventually Sakura looked him dead in the eye, her green eyes were extremely solemn. "If you hurt him, I'll kill you."

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"Not to say I disapprove of whatever relationship the two of you have." She continued, determination plain on her face. "But Sasuke is fragile, no matter how much he wants to deny it. I don't want you to go into this half-heartedly and end up tearing him apart, you know?"

Naruto gaped as he tried to gather his thoughts. "How did you even know?" He demanded. He hadn't told anyone what was going on with him and Sasuke, so that really only left one other option. Sakura shrugged and took another drink of her soda.

"Sasuke told me." She confirmed Naruto's suspicion.

"What exactly did he tell you?" He asked, he was curious despite himself. The fact that Sasuke had willingly spoken to Sakura about him was not normal. The fact that he had willingly spoken to Sakura at all wasn't normal either.

"He told me that he doesn't know what he feels toward you, but it's not just normal friendship. He told me that he feels possessive of you and afraid of you at the same time." She shrugged again. "And that's all I'm willing to tell you. To know anything else, you'll have to ask him yourself."

Naruto nodded, slightly surprised. "You know I'd never intentionally hurt Sasuke." He pointed out, a little wounded that she'd even suggested something so preposterous.

"I know." Sakura smiled at him warmly. "I wasn't saying you would, I was just warning you in case it happened. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Sakura. But I don't really know what's going on between me and Sasuke at the moment."

Sakura's grin turned mischievous. Naruto almost groaned. That was her 'gossip grin' as he liked to call it. She always got that look when Naruto would tell her something particularly juicy about one of his friends, or their mutual friend Ino.

"I think you know perfectly well what is going on between you and Sasuke, Naruto." The implications of her statement made Naruto blush. He scratched the back of his head and grinned nervously.

"Yeah," He agreed. "I guess you're right." Sakura nodded and flashed him another warm smile before her gossip grin came back. She leaned forward and eyed him intently.

"So," She said, her tone amused and curious. "How long have you been in love with Sasuke, exactly?"

Naruto groaned.

* * *

Sasuke threw a few cucumbers into the cart and then headed further down the aisle. He was buying food for Naruto to cook dinner with, as his apartment was lacking groceries at the moment. He'd been selecting extremely random items and tossing them in the cart. It was always fun to see what Naruto would create with strange ingredients.

"Hey." Sasuke looked up from the bin of mangos he was examining to see Ino standing at the bin across from him, a papaya in her hand. "Fancy meeting you here."

Sasuke almost snorted. Ino had a smile on her face that said it was completely intentional on her part. He quirked an eyebrow in question and she just shrugged. "Me and Sakura are tag-teaming tonight. She just called from your apartment and told me you were here."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke was annoyed at the fact that Sakura was at his apartment, alone, with Naruto. And that she had called Ino and sent her out to track him down. He didn't know what they were up to but it probably wasn't good.

"You know," Ino waved her papaya-free hand in the air. "The friendship talk. She's giving Naruto one right now and I volunteered to be the one to talk to you." She eyed him with a suspicious look before dropping her papaya into her cart and continuing.

"I'll keep this short and sweet." She started. Sasuke was lost, but his face didn't show it. He didn't quite know what a friendship talk was, but it's not like he could just tell her to fuck off and leave him alone. Naruto would get mad at him for that.

"I know that you and Naruto are starting to feel romantically inclined toward one another and that's great, I guess." She paused for a moment before nodding. "But, you need to know that even though Naruto is generally a happy person, he's easily hurt and has a rough past that makes it hard for him to truly connect with people."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at that. The fact that Ino knew about Naruto's past and he didn't was kind of hurtful.

"I know you're the wounded poet or whatever," Ino went on and Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was an author, not a poet. "But don't blow it with Naruto. Not only will I never forgive you, but you'll have quite a few people on your doorstep more than ready to kick your ass."

With that, she flicked her blonde ponytail over her tank-top clad shoulder and walked away. Sasuke grimaced and continued his shopping. People were getting far too involved in his life for his liking.

* * *

"Yeah, she seriously said that to me." Naruto told Sasuke, a mock hurt look on my face. "I never thought the day would come when Sakura would threaten to kill me. Well, threaten me and _mean _ it, anyways."

Sasuke snorted. He Naruto were laying on opposite ends of the couch. The television was on in the background, providing comforting white noise to the otherwise quiet room. Silence fell between them as Naruto finished complaining about Sakura's visit. Sasuke hadn't relayed much of his own talk with Ino to Naruto, just that she'd tracked him down at the grocery store.

Sasuke wondered about Naruto's past again as he studied the blonde. Naruto looked relax and content, which was his usual expression after a good meal. Sasuke desperately wanted to know what everyone else seemed to know about Naruto, but couldn't bring himself to ask and spoil Naruto's good mood. He sighed, which caught Naruto's attention.

"What's up?" The blonde asked, shifting to sit, rather than lay and leaning forward. Sasuke just shrugged, unsure of how to explain. Naruto nodded. "This is stressful, isn't it?" He gave a strained laugh and Sasuke just shrugged again. It was true, whatever was going on between him and Naruto was very stressful. But it was also strangely satisfying. Sasuke's usually empty chest felt fuller than it ever had before and that made him want to smile. But, of course, he didn't.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was hesitant. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the blonde scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um..." Naruto took a deep breath, as if to brace himself. Sasuke looked at him, curious as to what would have Naruto so torn. "Can I kiss you?" The blonde finally said, his voice quiet. His blue eyes had dropped to his fidgeting hands.

Sasuke's heart rate sped up so quickly it almost burst through his chest. Naruto wanted to kiss him? That strange feeling in his stomach was back, making it flip around nervously. Naruto had asked to kiss him. Did he want to kiss Naruto? He thought about it quickly, biting his lip.

After what felt like an eternity, he looked up at Naruto and nodded his head once. His hands were clenched to his sides as Naruto crawled toward him, invading his personal space. Naruto's blue eyes were wide and anxious as he brought their faces together. Sasuke licked his lips nervously.

He didn't know if this was the best idea or the right thing to be doing, but he wanted to know how he felt about Naruto and this seemed like a good way to figure it out. Plus, some part of him wanted desperately to feel the strange texture of Naruto's lips again.

Not that he'd ever admit it.

Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes, hesitating slightly. His tan arms were supporting his weight, one on either side of Sasuke. Sasuke noticed vaguely that Nartuo was halfway on top of him, but ignored it. His heart was racing and his thoughts were wild and his breath hitched as Naruto dipped his head forward and closed the distance between them.

Naruto's lips were soft and warm. They were still against Sasuke's for a few moments, causing Sasuke's heart to beat so loudly he was sure Naruto could hear it as they stared at each other. Naruto's blue eyes were almost glowing. Whether it was from the way the kitchen light was reflecting off them or the strange emotional high, Sasuke couldn't tell. Finally, Sasuke had to look away. The look was too intimate, too personal. He closed his eyes and Naruto deepened the kiss.

Sasuke stiffened as Naruto licked his bottom lip. Somewhere in the back of Sasuke's mind he registered that this was only his second time kissing someone, and both times it had been Naruto. Even though he was uncomfortable with people in his personal space, he trusted Naruto. The thought helped him relax into the kiss and he opened his mouth.

Naruto groaned above him as the kiss grew heavier. Sasuke groaned back, the sound reverberating strangely in their mouths. The kiss was slow and passionate and sending strange sparks all across his body. Naruto's tongue swept into his mouth and Sasuke groaned again, something inside of him snapped. He wanted more of this feeling, whatever it was. He wanted more of Naruto. He wanted to climb inside of the blonde through his mouth and devour him whole.

Sasuke lifted his hands and wove them around Naruto's neck, pushing his lips fiercely against the blonde's. Naruto moaned in response, sending more sparks across Sasuke's body as Sasuke melted into the kiss. Their mouths worked harshly against each other's as they used their tongues to fight for dominance. Sasuke's breath was labored and he arched himself up into Naruto, causing the blonde to gasp and Sasuke's lip to quirk in a slight smirk as he continued to kiss the blonde.

Eventually, they broke apart, both fighting for breath. Sasuke licked his lips, which felt raw and puffy and glanced over at Naruto. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Naruto smiled and fell back on the couch, giving a content sigh.

Sasuke picked up the remote, wanting something to distract himself with and started flicking through the channels. Naruto suddenly lunged forward and fought to take it from his hands. Sparks flooded up Sasuke's arm from where their hands touched.

"What are you doing, idiot?" He asked, amused and extremely distracted by the new feelings swimming around his body.

"I want to decide what we watch!" Naruto complained, tugging the remote out of Sasuke's hands and leaning back. Sasuke was almost disappointed when their skin lost contact. He rolled his eyes as Naruto flicked through the channels.

Sasuke snorted. "Iron Chef. What a surprise." His voice was sarcastic and teasing, which caused Naruto to stick his tongue out at him. Sasuke's eyes lingered on it for a few moments before he quirked and eyebrow and Naruto blushed.

Well, one thing was for sure. If he hadn't been physically attracted to Naruto before, he sure as hell was now.

* * *

**A/N - And there you have it. How was it? Was it awful? Lol. Hope you guys enjoyed!**

**TBC  
**


	6. Love, The Hardest Way

'_For what it's worth, I don't want to see you hurt_

_Anymore than you have to'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter Six

Love, The Hardest Way

Sasuke looked at his watch again. He had been waiting outside of his publisher's office for over an hour, and was not at all pleased with it. Every second that ticked by was one he _should _have been spending with Naruto. The blonde was currently away on a trip with that group of friends of his. They were celebrating the beginning of summer.

Sasuke had spent the last two days fuming over the blonde's absence. Naruto had invited him to go with, of course, but Sasuke had had to decline because of _this _appointment. He was worried about careless overly-trusting Naruto getting into trouble in whatever warm-climated city the group had chosen for their escapade.

Naruto had assured him that no such thing would happen, as Gaara was going with them and surely would keep a close eye on him.

Oddly enough, this didn't do much relieve Sasuke of his concern.

Sasuke mentally chided himself. He felt like an over-bearing mother hen. It wasn't like Naruto _needed _Sasuke there to protect him. The blonde had gotten along perfectly fine before he and Sasuke had met, and could surely do the same now.

Sasuke's line of thought was interrupted by someone plopping down in the seat next to him. He fought off the urge to groan.

"Suigetsu." He greeted coolly.

"_Sas-u-ke"_ Suigetsu returned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "It must be fate, us meeting here like this. Or maybe you're just stalking me."

Sasuke snorted as Suigetsu grinned, exposing his pointed teeth in a leer. Sasuke ignored it and silence fell between them for a blissful moments. Then, of course, Suigetsu opened his mouth again.

"So, how's the boyfriend?"

Sasuke – who had been in the midst of taking a rather large gulp of water – choked and turned to stare at Suigetsu indignantly, water bottle slightly askew in his hand.

"_What?_" He demanded, his chagrin being replaced by a comfortable rage. Suigetsu grinned at him again.

"I was only joking, Sasuke." Suigetsu stretched in the plushy chair. "But judging from your reaction, I take it you are seeing someone?"

Sasuke didn't dignify this with a verbal response. Instead, he fixed Suigetsu with his most threatening glare, which didn't seem to faze the white-haired smut author one bit.

"It only makes sense," Suigetsu continued cheerily. "I knew all those times of you rejecting me couldn't be because you weren't interested. I mean, who couldn't be interested in me? I'm stunning. But I never thought the you'd be playing my side of the field. Does this mean I have a shot?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something scathing when the office door opened and a very pretty secretary stuck her head out. "Mr. Uchiha, he will see you now."

About time.

Sasuke got up and walked through the office door without even looking at Suigetsu. He heard Suigetsu snorting in laughter as he shut the door behind him.

"Sasuke!" A man in his late fifties with a mane of wild white hair wrung his hand enthusiastically. "I swear, every time I see you I am just _astounded _that you are male. God must have been confused on the day he created you, because you are prettier than any girl I've ever seen."

"Jiraiya." Sasuke wanted to groan. He had forgotten in his attempt to escape one pervert that he was walking into the office of another. "I trust you've been well?" He added tonelessly, not wanting to appear ruder than he usually was.

"Fantastic." Jiraiya said as he led Sasuke into his inner-office and shut the door behind them. "And yourself? How is Naruto?"

For the second time in less than ten minutes, Sasuke was caught off guard. Now that was just annoying. "Excuse me?"

"Naruto!" Jiraiya said as he fell into his desk chair. Sasuke sat in one of the two chairs opposite him and blinked at him, his expression blank. "I haven't checked on the little squirt in ages, but Tsunade tells me he's been spending a lot of time with you nowadays."

Just how many people in Konoha did Naruto know, anyways? Sasuke vaguely recalled the painting he had seen on the day he had met Naruto. Now that he thought about it, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had been featured. He pushed the realization from his mind quickly, preferring to be annoyed.

"He's fine." Sasuke informed him curtly.

"I figured." Jiraiya said, smiling as he tapped at a few keys on his computer. "The squirt always was good at keeping himself busy."

"Hn." Sasuke responded. All of this talk of Naruto was doing nothing to help his mood. He wondered idly what Naruto was doing. Was he at the beach? At a club? Participating in one of those ridiculous contests that involved licking whipped cream off a scantily clad female?

The thought made Sasuke feel nauseous.

"Now, down to business." Sasuke almost breathed a sigh of relief. Jiraiya had always been an old pervert, but he took his job very seriously. He had become a publisher some twenty years ago, before that he had been an author himself. Sasuke had bought one of his books once, being mildly curious about his employer. It had almost made him blush. "The rewrite looks good. There just need to be a few minor cuts from chapter two and chapter sixteen..."

Sasuke settled into his chair, getting comfortable. This was going to take a while.

Three hours later, Sasuke unlocked the door to his apartment a little desperately. Jiraiya had gone into great detail about Sasuke's novel, sharing his own personal thoughts about how the heroine should be more robust. Which just meant Jiraiya thought Sasuke should up her cup size. When he had exited Jiraiya's office, Suigetsu was still there, waiting, and had pinched Sasuke's but as he walked by. Then Sasuke had found himself shanghaied in the lobby by Karin, who was on her way to talk to her agent or something.

Sasuke sighed as he flicked on the living room light. Today, he felt like his job was more trouble than it was worth. He hadn't expected to see Suigetsu or Karin until he was forced to go on another one of those ridiculous book tours. He never felt quite at ease around either of them. Suigetsu was a snake in the grass, that much Sasuke knew, but Karin was more subtle than that, like a hawk stalking it prey. He was seriously considering switching publishing houses.

Sasuke poured a coffee into his bright orange mug (Naruto had picked it out) and headed to his bedroom to begin yet another rewrite. He had taken to writing in there when Naruto was gone. Usually he wrote in the living room, Naruto keeping him company, but it felt empty to him now, without Naruto.

Sasuke opened his bedroom door and turned on the light. He blinked for a few seconds, his eyes adjusting, then for the third time that day, he felt like an anvil had been dropped on his head.

There, cuddled deeply into his comforter, was Naruto. He was on his side, facing Sasuke, fast asleep. His mouth was slightly open and his hair was all over the place as he drew deep, steady breaths. Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds, unable to believe his eyes.

"He said he wanted to come home." Sasuke tensed immediately and looked around. He had been so taken in at the sight of Naruto, that he hadn't realized someone was occupying his computer chair. "Wouldn't take no for an answer."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara. "How did you get in here?"

Gaara motioned to Naruto. "He gave me the key."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "You drove all the way here?"

Gaara nodded slightly. "It took ten hours. We had just gotten there and went out to the nearest bar. Naruto threw back a few too many, got really upset and said he wanted to come back. He wouldn't listen to reason, said he had to see you. I had to wrestle him for the keys to the rental car."

For a few brief moments, Sasuke allowed his heart to soften. Naruto had come all the way back, ditching his friends, to be with Sasuke? As much as Sasuke wanted to let himself melt into the thought, he couldn't under Gaara's irritated gaze.

"Take care of him." Gaara instructed, getting up and walking toward the door. Sasuke put his arm out, blocking the doorway.

"What exactly is your relationship with Naruto?" He wasn't so much asking, as demanding. It irked him that Gaara was the one who drove Naruto back, and had been sitting in _his _apartment, unsupervised, with the blonde.

Gaara stared at Sasuke's arms for a few seconds, before turning his cold gaze to look Sasuke in the eye. "I don't really see how that is any of your business."

Sasuke's hand tightened on the door frame and he gritted his teeth. He hated the fact that he had stooped so low as asking, revealing his emotions and intentions to the red-head, but that response was enough to make him want to throw Gaara across the room. He worked to contain his rage.

"Answer the question." His tone sounded calm, at least, even if he wasn't.

Gaara stared at him for a few more seconds before answering. "We're friends. That's it." His flat voice was an echo of Sasuke's usual tonelessness. "Now move your arm."

Sasuke, not entirely reassured, lowered his arm. Gaara took a step forward, but stopped. "Remember what I said, Uchiha. If you hurt him, in _any _way, I will kill you." With that, Gaara walked out the door. Sasuke heard the front door of his apartment open and shut as he stood there seething.

He hated the fact that the mere thought of a rival for Naruto's affections made him so irrational. He hated that he didn't know how he felt about Naruto, nor how Naruto felt about him. He hated that Naruto cared so much about Gaara, a vice versa. He hated that there was a side of Naruto that he would never know, that Gaara did. That he hadn't known Naruto all his life, that Naruto's past was a mystery to him. That Gaara was like the representation of some black hole, attempting to pull Naruto away from him.

He hated that he couldn't cope when Naruto wasn't around, couldn't focus. He hated his stupid anxiety problems, his paranoia. He hated his family for being the cause of that paranoia. He hated the fact that he felt he was holding Naruto back, pulling the blonde down to his level and trapping him there. He hated so much he could barely contain all the contempt as he stood there, shaking with his fists clenched.

"Sasuke?" Sasuke inhaled sharply at the sound of Naruto saying his name. The blonde's voice was thick with sleep, dreamy. Sasuke took a few breaths and composed himself, before turning around to face Naruto, who was blinking up at him with a confused look on his face. His big blue eyes were so full of emotion that Sasuke almost choked as he stared into them. Beyond the confusion and sleepiness, Naruto looked content, happy, at peace and completely trusting.

"Sasuke." Naruto said again, more conviction in his voice now. A slight smile pulled at the blonde's lips. Sasuke watched, lost for words, as Naruto held his arms out. It took a few seconds to register in Sasuke's brain that Naruto wanted him to go over there. Sasuke hesitated, for the briefest of moments. He wasn't sure how much more of himself he could put into Naruto without losing his mind completely.

But the moment passed, and Sasuke crossed the room gracefully, sinking down on the bed next to Naruto. The blonde wrapped his arms around Sasuke and huddled close to him, his eyes falling closed again. "Sasuke."

Naruto's voice was so content, so filled with warmth, that it pulled Sasuke in and devoured him completely. As Sasuke stared at the blonde with half-lidded eyes, it became so obvious.

He was in love with Naruto.

Though what being in love meant, he still had no idea.

Naruto was so focused that he didn't even notice his bedroom door open. Just a few more strokes, at exactly the right angle, and his painting would be complete. He hadn't painted much in the month since school had let out, so getting back to his hobby was comforting.

"Naruto?" Naruto jumped, even though the voice calling his name was gentle. He looked behind him and saw Hinata standing in his doorway, looking timid as ever. A grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Hinata! How are you?" He asked cheerfully, setting his brush down and walking over to hug her. She returned the hug rather weakly.

"Fine." She said, her voice squeaky.

"Did Sasuke let you in? I didn't hear you knock." Her eyes widened as she nodded. He smiled again. At first, he was had been put out by how timid she was, now he just found it endearing. He ruffled her hair slightly and stepped back from her.

"Oy, Sasuke!" He yelled, maneuvering himself around Hinata and out into the living room. Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading and quirked an eyebrow. "Let's order Chinese food! It's not often we have a lady in the house, we have to leave a good impression, otherwise Neji might show up to kick my ass."

"Then why don't you cook something?" Sasuke asked, sounding annoyed.

"Cause you never go grocery shopping, that's why." Naruto punctuated this statement by sticking out his tongue. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Besides, Hinata loves Chinese food, it's her favorite. Right, Hinata?"

Hinata, who was still lingering in the open door frame of his bedroom, eventually nodded. Naruto turned around, fully intending to pester Sasuke into paying for the food, when someone knocked on the door.

Sasuke got up and went to answer it. Naruto plopped down on the couch and motioned for Hinata to do the same. It took a few seconds, but eventually she walked over and sat down next to him.

"It's for you." Sasuke informed him, as he resumed his position on the love seat. "Ino."

"The ladies just love me. Jealous, Sasuke?" Naruto teased as he walked to the door.

"You wish." Sasuke shot back, not looking up from his book.

Naruto grinned as he pushed the front door open the rest of the way, revealing a very annoyed Ino. "Are you going to invite me in, or just make me stand in the hallway?"

"Nice to see you too, Ino." Naruto said, stepping aside. She flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder as she walked passed him.

Naruto grabbed a Chinese menu from one of the kitchen drawers and picked up the phone. Ino had joined Hinata on the couch. Naruto dumped the phone and menu in Sasuke's lap, before he sat back down on the couch. Sasuke glared at him.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure, ladies?" Naruto said, as Sasuke put his book aside and went into the other room. Naruto grinned as he heard distinct sound of a phone number being dialed.

"Well," Ino started, "I was going to tell you, but it looks like Hinata beat me to the punch." Hinata blushed as she stared down at her hands. "Chouji's band is playing next Tuesday. Everyone is going to be there. I was wondering if you wanted to come. Everyone will be heading back to my place afterward, to hang out. You've been kind of M.I.A. lately, so I promised the gang I'd make you come. You can bring Sasuke, if you want."

"Bring me where?" Sasuke asked, as he walked back into the room.

"Ino's having a party!" Naruto told him happily. "And we're going."

Sasuke paused in the midst of hanging up the phone. "We are, are we?"

"Yes." Naruto said, with all the finality he could muster. "It'll be fun. You'll get to see Chouji's band for the first time."

Sasuke glared at him for what seemed like forever, before he shrugged. "Fine." He conceded. Naruto beamed at him.

Two hours, and many helpings of Lo Mein later, the girls left. Naruto was lounging on the couch, too full to do anything else, and Sasuke had returned to his book.

Occasionally, Naruto would catch his attention drifting away from the television to Sasuke. The look on Sasuke's face was so intent, every line etched in concentrating on the novel, that Naruto couldn't help but admire it.

Then again, he spent most of his time admiring Sasuke.

Ever since he'd come home early from his trip – much to Kiba's dismay – things had been different between him and Sasuke. Not bad, just...different.

Sasuke's usual abrasive attitude had taken on a more teasing nature, his sarcastic comments were accompanied by a pleasant smirk, rather than an annoyed one, and his tolerance for outings had elevated slightly.

Naruto didn't know what to make of it.

The wall that Sasuke had always placed between himself and everyone else, including Naruto, seemed to be falling away. He even laughed more often.

Sasuke seemed happy, and that filled Naruto with so much glee that he rarely separated himself from Sasuke at all anymore. He'd moved the last of his stuff out of Shikamaru's after he'd gotten back from his trip. He'd expected Sasuke to object to taking him on full time, but the raven hadn't said a word about it.

Naruto felt better than he had in years, being this close to Sasuke. But some part of him was unsatisfied, unfulfilled. Even though he and Sasuke were together so much that they were practically the same person, even though he'd started sleeping next to Sasuke at night, leaving his own room neglected, even though had bought the toothpaste Naruto liked just because Naruto liked it...

He wanted to kiss Sasuke again.

It was getting to the point where he could barely contain himself. Every time his arm brushed Sasuke, he wanted to pin the raven to the nearest surface and ravage him. Kiss him, lick him, touch him. Be one with Sasuke in the truest sense of the word.

Naruto was getting more frustrated by the day. Not only because of what he was feeling, but of how new the feeling was.

Naruto had dated once or twice before. A few short-lived relationships decorated his youth, just like anyones, but he'd never once wanted to be with anyone the way he wanted to be with Sasuke.

It was taking every ounce of his self-control not to push the raven out of his comfort zone. Naruto almost snorted as he thought this, as he, himself was so far out of his comfort zone he didn't know what he was feeling anymore.

Naruto knew something inside of him had snapped when he had gone on that tripped. Something deep, and needy, and important. He had been having fun, messing around with Kiba, annoying Neji, forcing Shikamaru to go out with them...but the more fun he had had, the more he thought about Sasuke. Sasuke not being there, Sasuke being thousands of miles away from him, unattainable...

Sasuke snapped his book closed, causing Naruto to jump. Naruto watched him lay it aside and get up, heading toward the bedroom. Naruto looked at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning.

"Coming?" Sasuke was had his had on the bedroom door knob, and was looking at him expectantly. The velvety octaves of Sasuke's voice washed over Naruto like an aphrodisiac, and the blonde found himself wishing Sasuke had meant that in an entirely different way.

He nodded and followed Sasuke into the bedroom, nonetheless.

"So what did you think?" Ino slurred loudly at Naruto. She was on her fifth drink, and seemed to be fairly tipsy.

"They were way better than last time I saw them play!" Naruto slurred back, he was on his eighth drink. Sasuke was only on his second, and probably wouldn't drink anymore than that. Drinking didn't ever help his anxiety.

He cast his eyes around Ino's rather spacious apartment. Rock music was thumping loudly from a pair of large speakers in the corner of the living room. The apartment was cluttered with red cups, empty liquor bottles, people's coats. There were at least fifty people there, maybe more, and Sasuke was feeling extremely out of place in the crowd.

The beginning of the evening had been fine. They'd gone to some run down bar and watched Naruto's friend Chouji drum for two hours. The band had actually been pretty good, even if the music was a bit too heavy for Sasuke's taste. The bar had been just as crowded, but something about being in an apartment filled with people, rather than a public place, made Sasuke feel like he was suffocating.

He wanted more than anything to go home, away from everyone. It was getting to the point where he was seriously considering leaving Naruto there and just disappearing. His medication was in his back pocket, like a safety net waiting to catch him, but he didn't want to be caught. He just wanted to be alone.

Their little sub-party was interrupted by Gaara, who'd drifted over and was now whispering in Naruto's ear. Something he said made Naruto laugh loudly. Sasuke clenched his jaw to keep himself from doing something he shouldn't.

Naruto's laughter cut through him like a knife. Sasuke didn't like the fact that he found Gaara so amusing, or the animated look that was in his blue eyes as he spoke to the red-head. He didn't like the fact that Naruto seemed oblivious to his presence. Naruto knew places like this had a bad effect on Sasuke, but there the blonde was, chatting away, completely unconcerned.

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek. He needed to get away from this.

He wove his way through the crowd of people, some dancing, some yelling loudly to one another – one girl was throwing up in the corner – until he found the bathroom. Relieved there wasn't a line, he slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

Ino's bathroom was very blue, he noted. Powder blue wallpaper, blue and white tile, blue shower curtain. He wondered idly if it was her favorite color as he turned on the sink and splashed water on his face. He sneered slightly at his reflection, annoyed by it.

His dark hair was askew, as it usually was, and there were bags under his dark eyes. His reflection looked as tired and unhappy as felt.

Sasuke grimaced. His unhappiness annoyed him. Things had been going so well since Naruto had come home. They were closer than ever, even sleeping in the same bed. So why was he so unhappy?

His grimace turned into a scowl.

His realization of his feelings for Naruto had effected him strangely. It was so obvious to him now, that he had felt sure that it would be obvious to Naruto too, that the blonde would understand immediately. But Naruto seemed completely unaware of Sasuke's feelings. Even worse, it was almost like Naruto's own feeling as disappeared.

Naruto hadn't done or said anything even vaguely romantic for the last month. If it weren't for the fact that Naruto slept cuddled next to him every night, he'd think he had imagined that look in Naruto's eye the night he'd come back.

And what about their kiss?

Hadn't that meant something to Naruto? Sasuke could still remember the way Naruto's mouth moved with his, the way his body felt, heavy and warm and right...

Had it meant nothing to the blonde? Had he done it on a whim? Had him saying he didn't know if he was in love with Sasuke been an admission of lack of feeling? Rejection?

The thought made bile rise in Sasuke's throat. He fought it back.

Since when was he so weak? Uchiha's were never weak. Mentally unstable, borderline certifiable, sure, but never weak. Why was he behaving like a princess waiting for her prince to swoop in and declare his love?

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wasn't a damsel in distress, he wasn't waiting around for Naruto to save him, to do something, _anything_. Not anymore.

It was all or nothing, because Sasuke couldn't stand one more second stuck in this torturous limbo of emotion.

The fear of rejection that had tucked itself away in the back of his mind tried to take over his thoughts, but his conviction didn't waver. This silence between him and Naruto was like rejection already.

Adrenaline filled Sasuke's veins as he pushed his way through the crowd. Naruto wasn't chatting with Gaara and Ino in the corner anymore. Sasuke shoved people aside as he looked for him. After what seemed like an eternity, he spotted him.

And the scene in front of him made his blood boil.

Naruto was sitting in one of Ino's squashy tan armchairs, that had been shoved against the walls so they wouldn't be in the way. His drink was held loosely in his hand and his shirt was somehow off, revealing his well sculpted chest to the room.

And in his lap was a pale, black haired boy that Sasuke didn't recognize. The boy's arms were wound tightly around Naruto's neck as he whispered in the blonde's ear. White-hot anger seared through Sasuke's body, like a fire eating him from the inside out, and his vision pulsed red. He pushed a few more people out of his way with unnecessary roughness and approached them shaking.

Naruto's blue eyes widened at the sight of Sasuke and the grin slid off his face. The boy looked at Sasuke curiously and then a grin spread across his face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well, well," The boy's voice was thick and filled with false sweetness, like poisoned honey. "Who's this, _Nar-u-to_-kun?"

Naruto's mouth was open slightly and he seemed to be fumbling for words. "Sasuke...this isn't..."

Sasuke ignored him and addressed the black haired intruder. "Move. Now." His voice had gone passed demanding, to threatening. The intruder smiled at him sweetly.

"Now why would I do that when I'm comfortable right here?" He blinked his tilted eyes up at Sasuke sweetly. Before he realized it, Sasuke had lunged forward. He jerked the black haired boy up by the wrist, causing boy's eyes to widen in surprise as Sasuke pushed him to the floor.

"Touchy." The boy muttered, but Sasuke's eyes were on Naruto, who was still staring up at him with a lost look on his face.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's forearm and yanked him up. "Ouch, dammit Sasuke, that hurts!" Naruto complained as Sasuke drug him through the mass of bodies and out the door. Sasuke's vision was still pulsing, adrenaline and rage had consumed him so completely that he didn't even care his grip was far too tight and probably hurting Naruto as he steered them down two flights of stairs and out of the building.

The air outside was thick, humid. Storm clouds rumbled over head as Sasuke drug Naruto further away from Ino's apartment building, in the direction of their place.

"Dammit, Sasuke, let go of me!" Naruto jerked his arm out of Sasuke's grip. Sasuke rounded on him. "Who was that?" He snarled.

Naruto stopped rubbing his arm and held up his hands, as if to ward off a blow. "Chill out, Sasuke. It was just Sai."

"Sai?" Sasuke sneered. "Sai? Just Sai?" He took a few steps forward, causing Naruto to step backward, his retreat was halted by the fact that his back had met a brick wall. Sasuke planted his arms on either side of Naruto. "And what was _'just Sai' _doing all over you?"

"Nothing! We were just talking!" Naruto met his eyes timidly. "We hadn't seen each other in a while, that's all."

"Then why is your shirt off?" Sasuke demanded, his eyes boring into Naruto's. "Why were his arms around you?"

Sasuke had never been this out of control before, this angry. Not even when Gaara had confronted him. This anger, this wild abandon, was so carnal, so intense that it had taken total control of him. There was just his rage and his need to express that rage in controlling Naruto as the rage was controlling him.

"I took my shirt off because it was hot in there." Naruto said, his voice becoming more even, more steady. "And Sai's always been clingy, he does that to everyone."

Sasuke leaned forward, bringing face only an inch away from Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened and his breath hitched slightly. "You are mine." Sasuke breathed, hardly aware of what he was saying anymore. "_Mine. _No one else's. Not Gaara's, not this Sai's, _mine!_"

Naruto was staring at him in sheer amazement. His blue eyes had lost their tenseness, their confusion, and had grown warm, almost glowing in the contrast of the streetlights. Sasuke watched Naruto lift his arms slowly and felt them go around his neck.

"Fine." Naruto whispered, licking his lips. "I'm yours." Something inside of Sasuke became content at hearing this, calmer. His anger began to ebb away as he took one last step forward, closing the little distance between himself and Naruto, pressing their torsos together.

"Mine." Sasuke whispered, with a new heat in his voice.

"Yours." Naruto agreed.

Sasuke leaned forward and kissed him so fiercely it hurt his mouth.


	7. Katherine Wheel

**A/n - Hey readers! (If I still have any, lol) I am so sorry for the extremely long hiatus. I know I promised updates ages ago and failed to follow through, but I was cut off for the net for quite a few months and when I got it back, it was November, and November for me means NaNoWriMo (It's a thing where you have to write a novel with the deadline of a month) and when I was finished with that, school and reality and stuff hit me like a ton of bricks. BUT I HAVE RETURNED! I may get distracted, but I will ALWAYS update eventually. Count on that. So, sorry again for the long wait...Now back to Naruto and Sasuke. **

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_'Please don't stop until my heart no longer screams.'_

Love: In Theory and Practice - Chapter Six

Katherine Wheel

Gaara watched through Ino's small living room window – oblivious to the thumping music and people yelling around him – as Sasuke drug Naruto out from the alley they'd been hiding in for the last ten minutes or so and took off in the direction of their apartment.

Anxiety curled in his stomach, along with a protectiveness that was near predatory.

He turned from the window, ignoring Kiba, who called out to him loudly and went to hunt down his jacket.

The only reason he'd come was to keep an eye on Naruto, and now that Naruto was gone there was no reason to stay. He was no social butterfly and had no desire to become one.

All he wanted to do was go home, climb in bed and leave figuring out Naruto's problem to tomorrow, when he hadn't been up for twenty some hours straight and could think clearly. Getting Naruto to focus long enough to have a conversation would be hard, but it had to be done.

Things couldn't continue this way.

Gaara entered Ino's bedroom, relieved to find his coat piled amongst a dozen others on her huge mattress. He reached for, but stopped dead. Something annoyingly bright was radiating in his peripheral vision.

He turned his head.

Naruto's hoodie lay amidst the other jackets, just a sleeve peaking out, but Gaara knew it was his. No one else here had taste that bad.

Gaara's heart rate kicked into double-time.

Neglecting his own coat, he yanked the sleeve and pulled Naruto's hoodie free. He fished in the pocket, and was so relieved when he found nothing that the emotion left his body in an audible sigh. He almost relaxed, but had to be sure.

He unzipped the hoodie and looked on the right side. This hoodie was just like all the others Naruto owned – modified by Iruka. The tiny pocket was pretty much unnoticeable to those who didn't know it was there, the zipper spanning no wider than a two or three inches.

Gaara's heart hammered in his ribs as he stared at it. The lump answered the question for him, but he had to be sure. Sure that Naruto hadn't stuffed something else in there, that there was really a problem.

He unzipped the pocket and pulled out a small, flat metal case.

He popped it open, revealing a dozen little blue pills.

Well fuck.

* * *

Naruto's head was buzzing as Sasuke pulled him through the dead streets of Konoha. He didn't know if it was Sasuke or the Sake, but he was enjoying the sensation.

Hehe, Sasuke or Sake. He giggled. Or, or, Sasuke AND Sake. That sounded like a good combination.

Maybe it was the Sake.

Sasuke's hand was warm, clenching his own so tight in his grip that Naruto was pretty sure he was losing feeling in it.

He didn't mind.

Sasuke was touching him. Willingly touching him. No, better than that. He'd touched him _first_, kissed him _first_. He'd instigated this time.

He wanted this, too.

The grin that spread across Naruto's face could have made a blind man shield his eyes, it was so bright.

His toe caught on a crack in the sidewalk and he stumbled, losing his footing. He was pretty sure he was going to meet the concrete soon, but his reflexes were too slow to get his hands up in time to shield his face.

Sasuke's arm caught his torso just in time and he pulled Naruto upright, scowling. Naruto worked to right himself, his head still humming and grinned widely at Sasuke. His arm had repositioned itself around Naruto's waist, making them dangerously close to one another.

"Hey," Naruto whispered, vaguely aware of Sasuke's warm breath brushing his cheeks. Sasuke was glowering at him, but Naruto didn't care. He leaned in closer, inhaling Sasuke's scent deeply. Sasuke stiffened, then relaxed again.

He smelled like coffee and sweat. Naruto didn't know if love had a smell, but if it did, he was pretty sure it would smell like Sasuke.

"Watch where you're walking, idiot." Sasuke chided him, but his expression had softened and his voice didn't have that hostile edge to it. Naruto ignored that, aware only of the fact that he didn't have his shirt on and he could feel Sasuke's arm, warm against his lower back.

"Come on." Sasuke dropped his arm and took Naruto's hand again. Naruto squeezed it tightly, hardly daring to believe that it was Sasuke's hand. That Sasuke had gotten jealous. Really jealous. Had pulled him from a party and pushed him against a wall and kissed him and told him he was...

Naruto's inebriated brain almost couldn't process the out poor of emotion that was coming from his heart.

Sasuke unlocked the door to their apartment with ease and tossed the keys on the counter, flicking on the light and shutting the door behind them. Naruto squinted and blinked rapidly. His entire body was tingling.

How much had he drank, anyways?

"What are you doing?" He slurred at Sasuke, who was rummaging around in the kitchen loudly. Naruto rubbed his now Sasuke-free hand with his other one, missing the feel of his skin. He stumbled in the direction of the kitchen.

"Sasuuuke?" Sasuke's back was to him, his spiked hair sticking up in every direction as he pulled something out of the cabinet.

"Go sit down. I'm making you coffee."

Naruto snorted. "I don't neeeeed coffee, Sasuke." How come Sasuke didn't know that? Why was he always fussing over Naruto? Naruto huffed out a breath. He didn't need someone to look after him, he had Iruka for that. And Gaara. And Shikamaru. And Ino. And Kiba. And Hinata...

That isn't what he needed Sasuke for.

"I don't need coffee, Sasuke." Naruto repeated, unsure of whether he'd said that already or just thought it. He closed the small distance between them and snatched the pot Sasuke was filling out of his hand, dumping it out and leaving it the sink. Sasuke glowered at him. Naruto glowered back.

"You're drunk." Sasuke deadpanned.

"I'm aware." Naruto said, his hands finding Sasuke's hips. He pressed his hips against Sasuke's. The sharp intake of breath he got in response made him grin, satisfied. He ran his nose along curve of Sasuke's neck, breathing deeply, pressing closer.

A chill ran through him.

He was close. So close to Sasuke. He was touching Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't resisting him. Wasn't freaking out. He was so, so close to Sasuke.

But it wasn't close enough.

Naruto lifted his head and licked Sasuke's earlobe, testing. Sasuke moaned deeply, his head tilting back slightly. Naruto's grin broadened.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," He mumbled, leaning into him until every crevice of their bodies was aligned, until he was sure if he put any more pressure on the raven haired boy they would merge into one person, ceasing to be two different people, until they became a completely different being. Something deep and tangible and breathtaking.

Until they were the same.

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice was shaky and low. The sound of it made Naruto shiver again. Sasuke raised his hands from where they'd been resting on the counter and put them on Naruto's hips.

Yes, yes, yes. This is what Naruto wanted from Sasuke. He wanted Sasuke to acknowledge him. To touch him. To take him and mold him and define him and make him into someone who wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, that one art prodigy from Konoha U. Make him into someone who wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, the guy everyone wanted to be around. Someone who was Uzumaki Naruto, the fucked up kid from that foster home.

He wanted Sasuke to make him into someone real.

Sasuke pushed Naruto back gently. Naruto looked up, baffled.

What the hell?

"Go sit down. I'll be out there in a minute."

Naruto considered him for a moment, before stumbling to the living room. Relocating was probably a better idea anyways. Throwing down on the kitchen floor was probably not the most romantic scenario for their first time together.

He fell onto the couch face first, listening to Sasuke banging around the kitchen for several minutes before he repositioned himself so he was on his back.

Waiting.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Always waiting on Sasuke.

He could wait forever.

For Sasuke.

It seemed like an eternity to Naruto, but Sasuke emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. He sat it down on the coffee table and then settled onto the couch. The far end of the couch. Away from Naruto. They weren't even touching.

No, no, NO. Naruto's shook his head at Sasuke. That was all wrong! Geesh, Sasuke must really be nervous or something.

Naruto scooted over until he was only a few inches from Sasuke. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and his palms were sweating and the thrumming in his head was louder than ever.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed. The name felt so good when it left his lips, filling his heart with sensation, touching every part of him. It was so right. Sasuke was so right. "Sasuke, I love you."

Sasuke's eyes snapped up from his hands, wide and surprised and then they narrowed slightly. He licked his lips. He looked like he was thinking hard about something.

"Do you really?" He asked finally, looking at Naruto with an expression the blonde couldn't decipher. Naruto nodded emphatically.

"Yes, Sasuke, YES!" Naruto nearly shouted. "Forever! I've loved you _forever_. Or at least, I think I have. I didn't know. But I know now. I do. I love you, Sasuke. Love, love, love." Naruto giggled, feeling like a teenager confessing to a crush for the first time.

Sasuke smirked. Naruto thought if he'd been standing, that expression would have made him fall to his knees. He loved it when Sasuke smirked.

Sasuke raised a hand and reached toward Naruto. Naruto scooted closer, leaning into the touch. When Sasuke's hand ran through his hair, he shivered violently. Sasuke's hand rested on his collarbone and the warmth of it was enough to drive Naruto mad.

Naruto leaned in and caught Sasuke's lips. Sasuke was still, but Naruto pressed against him, licking Sasuke's bottom lip slowly with his tongue.

Sasuke groaned, his mouth opening. Naruto plunged his tongue into his mouth, kissing him desperately, his hands rising to Sasuke's hair as he climbed on top of him. Sasuke was kissing him back. Hard. Just as desperately.

Naruto ground his hips against Sasuke's and Sasuke let out a sharp gasp that rushed into Naruto's mouth. Naruto devoured it. He could devour all of Sasuke. Dive inside of him, pull him from the inside out, devour him whole

They kissed and kissed and kissed and Naruto was so hot, so desperate to prolong it. His entire body was thrumming with the desire to become one with Sasuke. Not just physically, but in every way. Just as he was Sasuke's, he wanted Sasuke to be his.

His hand found Sasuke's belt and startled fumbling with it when Sasuke stopped him and sat up.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked. The buzzing in his head was duller now, a mild hum. He could feel himself slowly becoming more sober. Very slowly.

"Too much," Sasuke panted. "Too soon." Sasuke met his gaze with guarded eyes. "And you're drunk."

"So?" Naruto didn't see what that had to do with anything.

"Drink your coffee, Naruto." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and looked away. Naruto glowered at him.

"I don't want coffee, Sasuke. I _want _you. I've always wanted you."

Sasuke met his gaze again. "What do you mean?"

Naruto fell back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, which had started to spin dangerously. "Since before I even met you, I've _wanted _you, Sasuke. To know you. To be near you. Close to you."

Naruto licked his lips. Some part of him knew he shouldn't be telling Sasuke this, that this was dangerous territory, things he shouldn't admit.

"Since before you met me?" Naruto covered his eyes with his arm to block out the spinning ceiling. Sasuke's tone was indecipherable, just like the rest of him. Naruto tried to think through the thick haze on how best to explain it.

There was a loud knock on the door. It shattered the tense silence like a clap of thunder in an empty desert. Sasuke got up to answer it.

Naruto sat up and then realized that was a very bad idea. The apartment shifted violently around him and he leaned forward, his head beneath his knees.

"Give it to me, I'll make sure he gets it." Sasuke was saying, Naruto lifted his head as much as he dared to stare at the door. He could just make out Gaara's spiky red hair over Sasuke's shoulder.

Gaara? What was he doing here?

Naruto's head was pounding and his stomach was bubbling as sobriety hammered itself upon him, the numbness of his drunken stupor receding. With a clear head, panic erupted in his chest.

His bare chest.

He'd left his hoodie at Ino's.

His pills were in his hoodie.

Gaara was at the door.

The dots connected so quickly in Naruto's head that he was on his feet in a flash, pushing Sasuke gently behind him.

"Hey, Gaara, what's up?" He asked as casually as he could manage. The world was still shifting violently around him, nausea rolling in his stomach.

Gaara stared at him for a moment and Naruto didn't like the look one bit. It was Gaara's 'we need to have a very serious and long conversation about how badly you just fucked up' look. "You forgot this." Gaara said finally, extending his hand. Clutched in it was Naruto's hoodie.

Naruto sighed in relief and took it from him, clutching it to his bare chest.

"Thanks." He said sincerely, so relieved his entire body relaxed. Then tensed up again. There wasn't even time to run for the bathroom before he was hunched over, throwing up all over Sasuke's immaculate floor.

* * *

Sasuke shut his laptop and rubbed his temples. He couldn't focus. His eyes were heavy from staring at the screen and his head was pounding. He ran a hand through his hair.

Now was not the time for him to be working on revising his novel. Too much had happened in too little time. His mind was filled to breaking point with images from earlier in the evening. Naruto on that Sai guy's lap, Naruto against the wall in the alley, Naruto on top of him on the couch, Gaara and the weird exchange he and Naruto had had with the hoodie...

Naruto's words came back to him. "I want _you. _I've always wanted you."

What had he meant by that, exactly? Since before they met? Sasuke didn't understand but there was a feeling in his chest, like someone was clenching their heart in their hand, that was threatening to overwhelm him.

Shut up, he told himself. Now was not the time to get paranoid. Naruto had told him, blatantly and flat out, that he loved him. Sasuke should be focusing on that, not repeating the conversation in his head to sort out the subtext.

He sat his laptop down on the coffee table and turned off the living room light, walking through the dark to his bedroom.

He stood in the doorway for a few moments, staring at the lump that was Naruto. Moonlight fell into the room from a gap in the curtains, illuminating it enough for Sasuke to see Naruto's wild mess of bright blond hair and the rise and fall of his chest.

Something inside of Sasuke found the sight impossibly beautiful. It didn't matter that Naruto had been slobbering drunk, that he'd said things he didn't understand, that he'd thrown up all over the floor and Sasuke had had to clean it up.

All that mattered was that Naruto was asleep, in Sasuke's bed, curled beneath Sasuke's covers, in Sasuke's apartment. It didn't matter that Sasuke's emotions were so mixed up he didn't know what was what anymore. It didn't matter that he didn't know Naruto's secrets.

Naruto was his and that was enough for Sasuke.

For now.

* * *

To Be Continued.


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